The whole world has come together to fight the pandemic coronavirus which has taken lives of more than 13000 people across the globe. There has been a complete lockdown in many parts of the world including India to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
While Italy and China have been majorly affected, there is a spark increase in the number of coronavirus cases in India in the last two days. While seven peoples have already been reported dead, many more are fighting for their lives with more than 400 cases registered. The government has ordered a full lockdown in the country from today until March 31.
The BCCI has already postponed the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) until April 15 which was slated to start from March 29. Reports have emerged that tournament might get delayed which situations getting worse with each passing day.
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However, if the recent reports are to be considered, the BCCI official has revealed that the tournament can still happen if it commences in the first week of May. He also cited examples of the 2009 edition of the IPL where the tournament was shifted to South Africa amid Lok Sabha election and BCCI conducted 59 matches in just 37 days.
“The latest we can wait is till the end of April. If the first game isn’t played by the first week of May then it will be almost impossible to have the league this year. Even if we have to wait until the end of April to follow all the procedures, we can take a cue from the South Africa edition and conduct the league successfully,” the official said.
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“If you remember, that was the shortest IPL with 59 games played over 37 days and we can do the same. But certain measures will have to be taken,” he added.
Speaking further on the logistics and travelling part, the official added IPL 2020 can take place in Maharashtra where there are four international stadiums. However, the idea is unlikely to be accepted by the franchises and they earn a lot of money from selling tickets and the supporter base will also be an issue.
“You cannot travel around the country in such a scenario. If we get the necessary permissions, we will have to stick to a place like Maharashtra where we have three stadiums in Mumbai and a stadium in Pune. I am sure this will then help us ensure that teams not only get fresh wickets to play but also there is minimal travel involved,” he concluded.
