The spread of the Corona Virus across major cities of India could harm the gateway revenues for the IPL teams. The IPL team owners are worried about the potential losses they would incur because of the same. The spread of this virus across continents has impacted several global sporting events, and IPL could very well join the list that includes the likes of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which are in danger of being postponed or on the verge of being canceled.
Reassuring the owners, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that the IPL will go on as per schedule despite the threat from the virus. However, the owners have been busy discussing a significant talking point about the potential loss in income and gate revenue.
A senior Franchise executive was quoted by the Times of India Stating “Between now and March 29 (when IPL starts), there are about three weeks left. The answer to this question depends on how these three weeks pass. If a newspaper headline tells me in the morning that Coronavirus is spreading, then it’s going to play on my mind. I will not want to see myself entering a cricket stadium with large crowds. So, yes, it’s a worry right now but, time will tell.”
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The English Daily quoted another franchise official speaking about costs and potential losses they might have to suffer from if the spread of Corona virus affects the stadium revenues for the team owners. “.. …that’s Rs3.5 cr for seven home games. Add that to the expenditure incurred in the setting up of a venue ahead of a season and ahead of every match. Then, there’s a separate fee that needs to be paid for security for every game. There are several miscellaneous expenses incurred.
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He further adds, “Gate money, in-stadia branding, merchandising, hospitality. These are few avenues from where those expenses can be recovered. If panic spreads and stays, it certainly will have a cascading effect on the whole thing.”
As of now, no player/team management has complained about the continuation of this Mega Event, about any health concerns.
