The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already postponed the IPL 2020 till mid-April. Now, the Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has clarified about the fate of IPL 2020.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports leagues in the world. Since 2008, the IPL has always been successfully organised timely till the 2019 edition.
The 13th edition of IPL was initially scheduled from 29th March to 24th May 2020. But in the wake of COVID-19 or coronavirus outbreak, the tournament has been postponed till 15th April 2020.
While the government has already cancelled most of the visas till 15th April 2020, the Sports Ministry also advised hosting the unavoidable events without public gathering. As the coronavirus cases are continuously rising in India, most of the sports events have been cancelled at present.
The fate of IPL 2020 is likely to be decided after 15th April 2020
The Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has now claimed that the fate of the IPL 2020 can be decided after 15th April 2020. According to the situation, the government will come up with the new advisory and guidelines at that time, which will always be prioritised the citizen’s safety.
He claimed, “After April 15 the government will come up with new advisory and guidelines according to the situation. BCCI is a body that looks after cricket which is not an Olympic sport. But here it is not the question of the sporting event alone but a question of the safety of the citizens. In an event, there will be thousands of spectators. So it is not just for the sports bodies or sportspersons it is for every citizen of the country.”
The BCCI is trying to find out the best solution for the IPL 2020. They have already come up with several plans, but they can’t fix it at present due to the uncertain future.
While the Indian board is trying best to organise the IPL 2020 from mid-April, reportedly, they also have a plan to shift this edition to July-August. But if the situation can’t be controlled soon, the tournament can be even cancelled for this year.
As foreign cricketers are also the crucial factor for IPL, the tournament is likely to be possible if the situation comes under control globally. The franchisees reportedly want to play the IPL 2020 if the overseas players are available.