BCCI postpones IPL 2020 from March 29 to mid-April amid Coronavirus outbreak

The Indian Premier League (IPL), which was set to commence on March 29, has been postponed to mid-April as of now following the massive threat posed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). There were speculations around the IPL taking place behind closed doors following the Indian Government’s decision to not allow the mass gatherings as a precautionary measure.

Moreover, on Friday, the Delhi Government also cleared that they will not be hosting the IPL matches this season which complicated things. The Government had also upheld all the foreign visas until April 15 which had put the participation of the overseas cricketers in doubt.

Keeping in mind all the repercussions, the BCCI office-bearers, President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah met at the board’s headquarters in Mumbai on Friday. And the final decision was taken and it has been understood that their operations and logistics team helped them arriving at the decision.

Postponement gives BCCI time to reassess the situation

The sources in the know of the developments, according to the Times of India, confirmed that the postponement will only give time to the BCCI to reassess the situation. The board is likely to further call on the tournament depending on the situation in the country related to the Coronavirus cases.

“The postponement gives BCCI the time to reassess the situation and have that much more time on hand to take a further call. The postponement will allow them to see if the threat of the virus ceases any time soon, remains in control, or gets worse. Depending on these scenarios and what the central and state governments say, a further call can be taken,” the source said.

The postponement also allows the BCCI to work on the visa issues of the foreign players as the franchises are clear that they want overseas cricketers in the league. However, even if the IPL begins mid-April, they will have a shorter window now and might have to change the format of the tournament accordingly.

“The postponement will allow the BCCI to reassess that situation too. If the tournament can be held from mid-April onwards, then there is time now to work on the visas. Remember, the IPL cannot be held without overseas players. That’s a condition every franchise will put on paper regardless of anything else,” the source further added.