Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday suspended Indian Premier League 2020 till April 15 as a precautionary measure against Coronavirus outbreak in India.
“The BCCI has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) situation,” the cricket body said in a statement.
The BCCI also said that it was concerned about both stakeholders as well as health of the public.
”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, ” it said.
The board also mentioned that it 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.
The BCCI will meet the IPL team owners on Saturday before the start of the IPL Governing Council meeting to discuss the way forward.
Earlier during the day, the Delhi government prohibited in the National Capital all sports activities, including the IPL, that include a gathering of more than 200 people.
With six cases getting confirmed in Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a press conference said, ”All the sports activities including IPL matches have been postponed in Delhi till further notice.”
Before Delhi, Karnataka has also expressed its unwillingness to host IPL matches, while Maharashtra has banned the sale of tickets.
The annual cricket tournament, IPL, was due to start on March 29 in Mumbai and Delhi’s first game was scheduled to be on March 30.
The Government has cancelled all visas, except for a few official categories, till April 15 in the wake of the growing scare.
On Thursday, the BCCI said the two remaining ODIs of a 3-match series between India and South Africa would be played in front of empty stands in Lucknow and Kolkata respectively.
