The 13th edition of Indian Premier League, scheduled to start on 29 March, has been suspended till 15 April in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed on Friday.
The board said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure. “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,” secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.
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The BCCI is set to meet the IPL team owners on Saturday before the start of the IPL Governing Council meeting and the way forward will be discussed then.
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The franchises are clear that while they are okay to have the games minus the fans, they want the foreign players as that is what makes the IPL a cricket carnival.
The Delhi government on Friday banned all sports events and activities in the city, which will see a gathering of more than 200 people, including the IPL.
With a majority of visas to India being cancelled in the wake of COVID-19 scare, overseas cricketers and coaching staff members will be ineligible to enter the country at least till April 15 since they are issued B-Sports visas under Business Visa category.