While the pandemic situation hasn’t been controlled yet in India and the world, the public events are still far away from reality. Now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced that the IPL 2020 has been postponed until further notice.
The cash-rich franchise tournament Indian Premier League (IPL) started in 2008. Till 2019, the tournament has been organised successfully every year mostly during the period of March-May. Though there were some tough barriers, the league has always battled strongly.
Initially, IPL 2020 was scheduled to begin on 29th March 2020
However, the coronavirus pandemic is dominating the world, and for the first time, the IPL is struggling to win the battle. The IPL 2020 was initially planned between 29th March and 24th May 2020. But due to the coronavirus outbreak, the IPL 2020 has been postponed.
At first, the BCCI postponed the IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, especially taking in the mind of visa suspensions. Later, the government announced the 21-day lockdown period till 14th April 2020.
On last Tuesday (14th April), the government has extended the lockdown period till 3rd May 2020. Observing this situation, the BCCI has now decided to postpone the IPL 2020 until further notice.
Even after the government decided to extend the lockdown period, the BCCI soon informed the IPL franchises about the further postponement of the IPL 2020. A franchise official also claimed that the BCCI was still hoping to find out a proper window to host the 13th edition of the IPL successfully in this year.
During the latest press release, the BCCI has confirmed that the IPL 2020 will only commence if the situation becomes safe and appropriate.
It stated, “The health and safety of the nation and everyone involved in our great sport remains our top priority and as such, the BCCI along with the Franchise Owners, Broadcaster, Sponsors and all the Stakeholders acknowledge that the IPL 2020 season will only commence when it is safe and appropriate to do so.”
That statement further added, “BCCI will continue to monitor and review the situation regarding a potential start date in close partnership with all of its stakeholders and will continue to take guidance from the Government of India, State Governments and other State Regulatory bodies.”
However, the BCCI will face a tougher battle to organise the IPL 2020 during the other period of this year, even the situation gets controlled enough. In September, the Asia Cup 2020 (T20I format) has been scheduled although the revised host nation hasn’t been confirmed yet. Later, Australia will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 from 18th October to 15th November 2020.