The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) became the high-profile sporting event that was affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The thirteenth edition of the IPL 2020 which was supposed to commence from March 29 in Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium, has been postponed by the BCCI until April 15 amid coronavirus fears.
Nonetheless, the government is taking all necessary steps in a bid to control the growing threat of the Covid-19.
Earlier, reports were suggesting that the world’s premier tournament might take place behind closed doors without involving spectators in the stands. Following an important board meeting, the BCCI took the right step by deferring the IPL for a little over two weeks.
IPL 2020 could be cancelled this year: Official
The future of IPL is not clear as of now and according to an IPL official, the cash-rich league might get cancelled altogether this year in case if it misses the April 20 deadline.
“If at all the IPL starts, it would be around April 20 but the decision will be made around April 10. If the tournament doesn’t start by April 20, it will have to be deferred till the next year,” the official told Sportstar.
As per the official six-week window from April 21 till May 31 is more than enough to host 60 matches with multiple double-headers.
But a decision on whether the cash-rich league could go ahead will depend on the extent of the coronavirus pandemic by the first week of April.
“The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders, and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience,” release stated.
“The BCCI will work closely with the Government of India along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other relevant Central and State Government departments in this regard,” it added.
The report went on to claim that no one in the BCCI is so sure on whether the 13th edition will be played or not.
The report also quoted the IPL official as saying that the authorities had informally consulted with all of the eight franchises and some of the big teams were hesitant to start the league as per the schedule without any overseas participation.