Published 20:34 IST, March 13th 2020
Sourav Ganguly issues first statement after IPL gets postponed & India-SA ODIs cancelled
In his first response after postponement of IPL, BCCI Chief Sourav Ganguly said, "Let us stick to postponement as for now. Everyone's safety is our priority"
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been postponed to April 15. The popular annual tournament will not begin on March 29 as per the existing schedule. In his first response after the BCCI's decision, Sourav Ganguly when asked whether the tournament will take place this year said, "Let's stick to the postponement at the moment. We'll see. It is too early to comment anything now."
'Nobody has a choice'
Ganguly, when asked about BCCI's priority, said, "Our priority is safety so we postponed the game." Replying to a query whether the franchisees are happy with the postponement he said, "Nobody has a choice. Even the board does not have a choice." The BCCI is scheduled to meet the owners of the IPL franchises before the start of the IPL Governing Council meeting.
“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. 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,” the board informed through an official mail.
India-SA ODI series called off
Earlier in the day, the three-match ODI series between India and South Africa was called off because of the COVID-19 outbreak. After the first ODI in Dharamshala which was washed off due to rain, the second and third ODI in Lucknow and Kolkata respectively has been called off by the BCCI in consultation with the government. Earlier the matches were supposed to be played behind closed doors but the BCCI has decided to call off the entire series instead.
Updated 20:39 IST, March 13th 2020