The Board of Control for Cricket in India has officially decided to suspend the Indian Premier League 2020 indefinitely due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The Indian board stated that the safety of all the people involved in hosting the tournament is of utmost importance at this stage.
Thus, it is prudent to organise the tournament at a suitable date later in the year if the situation improves. The IPL 2020 was to begin from March 29 with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on runners-up Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium but it came under the threat due to Covid-19, which has put everything in the world on hold.
In fact, it was speculated earlier that the tourney might be played behind the closed doors but even that possibility was soon out of the picture.
The tournament was expected to be deferred till further notice after India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to extend the lockdown in the country till May 3 after discussing the same with state ministers.
“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,” a BCCI release stated.
All the sporting events in the world have been put on a hold due to the deadly virus. In fact, the BCCI was also forced to call off the two ODIs against South Africa after the first one at Dharamshala was abandoned due to rain.
There is no doubt that BCCI is left with no option other than to wait for the current situation to improve. Subsequently, the Indian board can take a call to host the event. It is reported that the BCCI is targeting other windows to fit in the IPL. Any events in the near future looks like a distant reality and the BCCI has taken the sensible decision to postpone the IPL.
Currently, coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 400 lives in India whereas more than 12000 people have been tested positive.
Written by: Gautam Chauhan
