XtraTime Web Desk: The Indian Premier League (IPL) this season is likely to be cancelled following the current situation of the country due to the coronavirus outbreak. Although it has not been made official but the announcement from the BCCI is expected soon once it gets to know the decision of Indian government regarding visas for foreign nationals. The Board of Control for Cricket in India was supposed to officially announce their decision on April 15, when the countrywide lockdown initiated by the central government ends. It is also learnt that there will be no auctions next season.
On March 14, the BCCI after a meeting with all the franchisee owners decided to adopt a wait and watch approach hoping the situation will improve. The Board President Sourav Ganguly too hoped for a truncated league.
“We will monitor further. Safety is most important … as much as we want to host IPL, we also need to be careful about security,” Ganguly had said then.
However, the situation is different now with India approaching 1000 positive cases. With Tokyo Olympics already postponed and many sporting events around the world called off, the Indian board doesn’t want to take any risks by playing cricket.
“The BCCI along with all the IPL franchises have reiterated BCCI’s stand of putting the safety and well-being of fans, athletes, and employees as a priority. The board will continue to monitor and work closely with the Government of India, state governments and other states regulatory bodies to decide on the future course of action in the best interest of public health,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah had said in a statement.