The upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is just a couple of weeks away, but the Coronavirus outbreak has derailed the tournament’s preparations. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is finding it difficult to organize the tournament as the wrath of Coronavirus has affected many sporting events across the globe.
Cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai are quite concerned about the hosting of IPL 2020 as a large crowd will be expected to witness the games and it can lead to increasing the casualties of the life-threatening Coronavirus. The Maharashtra Government on Wednesday had banned the sale of tickets for the tournament opener between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings which is scheduled to be played on March 29 at Wankhede stadium.
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In recent developments of news, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has come up with a suggestion regarding the organization of IPL 2020. The MEA has advised the organizers to not schedule the tournament in the current times. However, the MEA has also added that it depends on the organizers to decide whether they want to go ahead and flag off the tournament.
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MEA’s statement read: “I think it is for the organizers to decide whether to go ahead with it or not. Our advice would be to not do it at this time but if they want to go ahead, it is their decision.”
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the effect of #coronavirus on IPL: I think it is for the organizers to decide whether to go ahead with it or not. Our advice would be to not do it at this time but if they want to go ahead, it is their decision. pic.twitter.com/qFlpsrxU0D
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2020
Apart from IPL 2020, many sports like basketball and soccer have been affected by the wrath of Coronavirus. Amid the fear of Coronavirus, the highly-anticipated T20I series between Asia and World XI have also been pushed further. The two T20Is of the series, which were slated to take place on March 21 and 22 respectively, have been postponed till the spread of the virus curbs down.
