The increase in the number of coronavirus cases has prompted Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone the IPL 2020. The tournament has been postponed till 15th April as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 infection. The Twenty20 cricket tournament was scheduled to commence on March 29. 

With growing voices of concern given the massive threat of Covid-19 at the moment, the BCCI has announced to suspend the tournament till 15th April.

The postponement will allow the BCCI to reassess that situation too. If the tournament can be held from mid-April onwards, then there is time now to work on the visas. Remember, the IPL cannot be held without overseas players. That’s a condition every franchise will put on paper regardless of anything else.

The IPL will be played behind closed doors, to empty stands. The order from the central sports ministry on the matter stands.

In such a scenario, the BCCI will have two things in mind:

A) Change the format of the league, like they have done in the past, to fit into a smaller window

B) Conduct the league within two to three venues so that unnecessary travel can be curbed.

Recent BCCI Media Release stated that the BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders, and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience,” the Board stated.
The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders, and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience,” the Board stated.
Several international sports event like Australian Grand Prix and NBA were cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak which killed nearly 5,000 people worldwide.
World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday had declared the coronavirus outbreak a ‘pandemic’ and expressed deep concern.

The coronavirus disease was first detected in Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, in late December, and has since spread worldwide.

More than 127,000 people have been infected with COVID-19, with over 4,700 having died and 68,000 recovered.