Picture Courtesy : IPL
BCCI have told the Indian Premier League franchises that the T20 league stands “postponed indefinitely” after the lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic was extended till May 3, leaving no scope for the tournament to take place during its designated window.
The IPL was supposed to be held from March 29 to May 24. However, on March 13, the BCCI announced that the league would be postponed till April 15 due to the restrictions placed on the entry of foreigners, which ruled out any international participation.
While the development to postpone hasn’t been officially announced as yet but it is learnt that the BCCI has reached out to all the stakeholders, including the eight franchises and the broadcasters, to convey that the event stands “postponed and not cancelled”.
“Yes, the BCCI has intimated us that IPL has been postponed for the time being but they are hopeful of finding a window later this year as and when things normalise,” a veteran franchise official said.
It is understood that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah were waiting for the government directive and once the lockdown was extended till May 3 on Tuesday, they saw no possibility of holding the IPL during its traditional April-May window.
Ganguly had repeatedly made it clear that the game cannot be a priority given the crisis that the country is facing. In- fact in an interview with The New Indian Express, BCCI president Ganguly had said that the BCCI is monitoring the situation and at the moment, the situation is not favouring the IPL.
“We keep monitoring developments. At the present moment, we can’t say anything. And what is there to say anyway? Airports are shut, people are stuck at home, offices are locked down, nobody can go anywhere. And it seems this is how it’s going to be till the middle of May. Where will you get players from, where do players travel. It’s just simple common sense that at the moment, nothing is in favour of any kind of sport anywhere in the world, forget IPL,” Ganguly said.
