The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to postpone the Indian Premier League (IPL) till April 15. IPL 2020 has been postponed by two weeks due to the spread of coronavirus, following which India suspended all visas till April 15.
Honorary Secretary of BCCI Jay Shah said in a statement, "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) situation. 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."
In the statement BCCI said that the board will work closely with the government and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other Central and state departments in this matter.
The decision comes as India suspends visas for all countries till April 15. The foreign players in IPL get Business (sports) visas and full under the 'exempted from government restrictions' category. The IPL Governing Council and BCCI heads including Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah came to the decision a day ahead of the IPL Governing Council meeting on Saturday in Mumbai.
A number of franchises unanimously decided to propose April 15 as the starting date of the tournament. The number of venues will also be reduced after some state governments refused to hold IPL matches in their respective matches.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also said that all sports-related gatherings have been banned by Delhi. "We have banned all sports-related gatherings. If BCCI comes up with some new format then it's up to them. But we are banning every such sports activity where there is a possibility of thousands of people gathering. Our intent is to avoid gathering and not stop people from practicing," said Sisodia. He also asked people to avoid large gatherings.
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