On Wednesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially announced the postponement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 indefinitely. The IPL, scheduled to start on March 29, was earlier suspended till April 15, but with the nationwide lockdown in India to fight the coronavirus pandemic in India extended till May 3, the cricket board has postponed the cash-rich league until further notice.
The BCCI may or may not consider a September-October window and may take a call depending on the global situation. The decision comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement of extending the lockdown, which has been in place since March 24.
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The IPL has been postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah said in a press release on Thursday. The press release read: “Due to the evolving global health concerns regarding COVID-19 and lockdown measures implemented by the Government of India to contain the spread of the pandemic, the IPL Governing Council of the BCCI has decided that the IPL 2020 Season will be suspended till further notice.”
It further added, “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. BCCI will continue to monitor and review the situation regarding a potential start date in close partnership with all of its stakeholders and will continue to take guidance from the Government of India, State Governments and other State Regulatory bodies.”
The coronavirus crisis has led to several sporting events being postponed or canceled. The Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled to be held from July this year, has now been postponed by a year. Wimbledon has been canceled, while the French Open has been postponed till later in the year.
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Several cricketing events have also been called off or postponed, including South Africa’s tour of India for the three-match ODI series. The coronavirus crisis has also cast doubt on the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in October in Australia. The novel coronavirus has infected over 11,000 people in India, has caused 377 deaths.
