IPL 2020 suspended until further notice due to coronavirus pandemic

The decision was taken after the Board’s office-bearers had a conference call on Tuesday. The franchises have also been informed about the decision.

The IPL 2020 was originally scheduled to begin on March 29.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended the the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 until further notice.

With the country-wide lockdown extended to May 3, the BCCI top brass -- including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah -- had a conference call on Tuesday and it was decided that the tournament will be suspended until further notice. As reported earlier by Sportstar , the franchises, too, were informed about the decision.

The tournament, was earlier suspended till April 15, and now with the lockdown being extended, the Board had no option than push it back. On Wednesday, IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin called up the franchises and informed them about the decision. An official statement by the Board is expected any moment.

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While the Board is exploring ‘various options’ in a bid to find out an alternate window, later this year, to host the tournament, there is no clarity on the feasibility of such a proposal. 

“We have no idea when things will come back to normal again. So, it is too early to predict when will we have the IPL this year. The Board has told us that it’s looking into all the options and would let us know in due course of time,” one of the franchise bosses told this publication.

There are efforts to find a slot around September-October, just before the T20 World Cup. But with no clarity on travel guidelines and availability of players, even that looks doubtful.

 

“Whether we will have an IPL or not depends on how the next couple of months pan out. At this point of time, it is premature and also insensitive to talk about a possible date. We will have to wait and watch,” one of the franchise executives, who have been associated with the league, said.

Earlier, in a chat with this publication, Ganguly, had indicated that with the country coming to a halt, things aren’t in favour of any sporting activity. However, he did not specify what the BCCI’s plan of action will be now.

 

One of the Board officials, though, said that the picture will be clear once the situation comes to normal. “Once things are normal, we will have to speak to all the stakeholders and see what best can be done and react accordingly.”

If the IPL is eventually cancelled, there could be a possible loss of around Rs 3000 crore. While that is a major concern, the Board officials, franchises and the host broadcaster hope to reach a ‘common point’ over the next few months to decide on the future.