Coronavirus: Ganguly says safety of fans and players BCCI's priority
Following the government guidelines that public meetings cannot be held for now due to fears of the coronavirus outbreak, the BCCI decided to suspend the IPL till April 15.
Published : Mar 13, 2020 21:02 IST
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Friday said a decision on the future course of action on the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be taken after a meeting with the franchisees on Saturday.
Following the union health ministry’s guidelines that public meetings cannot be held for now due to fears of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the BCCI decided to suspend the league till April 15. However, there is no clarity on whether the tournament will start from April 15 itself or whether a revised date will be announced.
The former India captain admitted that it’s too early to make a prediction. According to the original schedule, the tournament was scheduled to begin on March 29 and end on May 24. Asked whether the window will be extended, Ganguly said: “It’s too early to comment on that. We will discuss all the aspects, see how things go and decide accordingly.”
However, Ganguly said that for the board, the safety of the players and spectators is of prime importance. “Our priority is safety and that’s why we decided to postpone it. We will see how things go and then get a better idea (about the venues),” the board chief said.
Ganguly and BCCI secretary Jay Shah met Uday Shankar, chairman of Star India, the official broadcaster of the IPL. Asked whether the franchisees were happy with the board’s decision to suspend the league for now, Ganguly stated, “Nobody has a choice.”