New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to postpone IPL 2020 till April 15 in the wake of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak.
The tournament was earlier scheduled to start on March 29.
The decision to defer this year’s IPL was taken by the BCCI top brass including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah and the top management of IPL following advisories by the government.
The BCCI confirmed the development through a media release Friday afternoon. It stated that IPL will be “suspending” till April 15 as a “precautionary measure” against coronavirus.
“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 release said.
“The BCCI will work closely with the Government of India along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other relevant Central and State Government departments in this regard,” it added.
The IPL sent the communication to all eight franchises on Friday, saying it would meet the owners on Saturday in person in Mumbai to further debrief on the matter.
