The coronavirus pandemic has forced the entire world to go in lockdown to curb the spread of the deadly disease. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared a complete lockdown in the country along with a curfew until April 15. Considering the current scenario, the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) looks gloomy.
IPL 2020 was scheduled to commence from March 29 but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) postponed the cash-rich league until Apil 15 in the outbreak of COVID-19. But with no signs of improvement, the future of the competition is getting bleaker with each passing day.
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Yesterday, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly expressed they are not sure about the fate of tournament as there has been no progress in the discussions in the last ten days. And now, a top franchise official has also echoed the same words saying that they are not even discussing IPL right now.
“We are not even discussing IPL right now. It will be premature to say anything but hosting the IPL this year looks a bit difficult,” a top franchise official told Hindustan Times.
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Even if the lockdown ends on April 15 and the visa restrictions are lifted, it will at least take 12-14 days for the groundsmen to prepare all the grounds. Another Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) official revealed that most of the associations had closed operations with only the top officials functioning on a ‘work-from-home basis.
“All IPL related work was stopped in mid-March. Only the construction of VIP boxes was underway when this coronavirus pandemic forced us to go on a work-from-home. We were already told not to hold IPL-related work till April 15,” a DDCA official said in the knowhow of the development.
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