Amid the growing concerns over the spread of coronavirus outbreak in the country, the Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council has decided to meet on Saturday (March 14, 2020) to take stock of the current situation and the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league. The 13th edition of IPL is scheduled to start on March 29 and the first match will be played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
A BCCI source told Zee Media that no foreign player will be available for IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by government in wake of coronavirus outbreak.
On Wednesday (March 11), Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the IPL should happen behind closed doors or the BCCI should postpone the tournament after the confirmation of 10 positive cases of coronavirus in Maharashtra. He further added that the final decision will be taken in the Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday.
"In the current situation, it is not possible to schedule the IPL match in a packed stadium. We want it to happen in closed doors or postpone it later. The final decision will be taken in the assembly session tomorrow. We all are of the view that IPL should not take place at this time. It is very dangerous to conduct the IPL in this situation," Tope told the media.
On March 6, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has said that 2020 IPL is still very much 'on' with the country's cricket board taking all the necessary precautions for the smooth conduct of the tournament.
"It's on…and BCCI will take all protection (against coronavirus)," ESPNcricinfo quoted Ganguly as saying. The former Indian cricketer's response came when quizzed as to how the BCCI is dealing with coronavirus outbreak that is threatening to bring daily life to a standstill.
Meanwhile, The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic, prompting the governments worldwide to take extraordinary measures to contain the spread of the deadly virus
As a border control measure, India cancelled all visas, except for a few official categories, till April 15. Even outgoing travel is being cautioned against and a minimum of 14 days` quarantine will be mandatory. In an official statement said all existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/international organisations, employment, and project visas stand suspended till April 15. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13 at the port of departure.
