The coronavirus has claimed the lives of over 4,000 people and to make things worse, it has infected more than 1.2 lakh people globally so far. The fast-spreading disease has also spoiled the international calendar of several sporting events all across the world. The Covid-19 has even put the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020 under huge doubt. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has ruled out any threat to the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) while adding that futuristic events will go ahead as planned.
IPL 2020 faces coronavirus threat:
Ganguly has also assured that the senior authorities are keeping a tab on the situation and will give everything to combat the disease.
Around 62 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in India so far, which is a worrying sign. Amid increasing fears of coronavirus cases in the country, there were suggestions that the upcoming cricket events will be played behind closed doors.
However, a BCCI official ruled it out by calling that it was not an option.
No foreign players will be available for IPL 2020 till April 15:
Meanwhile, no foreign players will be available for this year’s IPL till April 15 owing to visa restrictions imposed by the government in a bid to contain the novel coronavirus threat, a top BCCI source told PTI on Thursday.
The latest development also raises more doubts about the fate of the event.
“The foreign players who play in the IPL come under the Business Visa category. As per the government’s directive, they can’t come till April 15,” a BCCI source told news agency PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The government has also issued a fresh advisory with a ban on all existing foreign visas barring a few categories like diplomatic and employment till April 15 following the new positive cases of a novel coronavirus in India.
The fate of the IPL will be decided on March 14 at the event’s Governing Council meeting in Mumbai.