There is no official word from the BCCI yet, but in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, IPL 2020 is set to remain suspended until further notice.
There is no official word from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yet, but the Indian Premier League 2020 is set to remain suspended until further notice. A formal announcement is expected to be made after a Governing Council meeting in the next couple of days.
On Tuesday evening, the BCCI top brass — president Sourav Ganguly, secretary Jay Shah, treasurer Arun Dhumal, IPL chairman Brijesh Patel — had a conference call and it was decided that the league will be postponed indefinitely. The tournament, was earlier suspended till April 15, and now with the lockdown extending till May 3, the Board had no option than push it back.
A section of the franchise executives confirmed that they have been informally informed about the postponement, however, the BCCI officials remained tight-lipped.
One of the franchise bosses, who has been associated with the league for long, told Sportstar that they are yet to receive a formal announcement from the Board. “We have been informally told that this is not the right time for the league due to obvious reasons. But we are yet to hear anything formally,” he said.
Despite repeated attempts, BCCI chief Ganguly wasn’t available for a comment.
It has been learnt that the Board was waiting for a directive from the central government on the duration of the lockdown and after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Tuesday, it was evident that the league cannot go ahead for now amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Board officials aren’t willing to commit an alternative date either. Efforts are on to look for a possible window and then see where things stand. “At this point of time, there is no clarity on anything. We will have to wait to see how the things pan out over the next few days and then react accordingly,” one of the Board officials in the know of things, said.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com
