Published 11:58 IST, April 22nd 2020
Sourav Ganguly not in favour of cricket in near future, Harbhajan Singh and CSK agree
Sourav Ganguly said conducting cricket matches behind closed doors is an improbable idea as of now & added that there will be no cricket in the near future.
The coronavirus outbreak has put an end to all the sporting activities in the foreseeable future. The much anticipated IPL 2020 was also indefinitely postponed because of the dire situation in the country. And looking at the way things are currently shaping up, sporting action doesn't seem to be resuming anytime soon.
Several sporting associations across the world are considering conducting matches in front of empty stands. Germany's premier football competition Bundesliga is the first top-tier league which is expected to resume in May in front of empty stands.
No cricket in India in the near future: Sourav Ganguly
However, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly doesn't seem on board to go with the Bundesliga idea. While speaking to The Times Of India, Sourav Ganguly said that the social reality of Germany and India are completely different from each other. Sourav Ganguly added that there will be no cricketing action in India in the near future.
Sourav Ganguly further said that conducting cricket matches inside closed doors is an improbable idea as of now. Sourav Ganguly also said that there are too many ifs and buts involved and added that he doesn't believe in seeing sport player when human lives are at stake.
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CSK star Harbhajan Singh seconds Sourav Ganguly's decision
Sourav Ganguly's former teammate Harbhajan Singh seconded the comments of the BCCI President. Harbhajan Singh said that top-tier cricketers in India don’t just attract people inside the ground. Harbhajan Singh added that when IPL teams travel, there is a huge crowd at the airports, hotels and outside the stadium too.
Although Harbhajan Singh was recently open to the idea of playing the IPL behind closed doors, he now seems wary about the fact that playing cricket will go against the message of social distancing. Harbhajan Singh even went on to say that there should be no top-tier cricket till there is a vaccine for COVID-19 developed. Harbhajan Singh further said that even if there is no crowd, there can always be a possibility of a teammate showing symptoms.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO KS Viswanathan also took BCCI President Sourav Ganguly's side. The CSK CEO said that the broadcasters would definitely not mind IPL being played inside closed doors and added that it was probably not the appropriate time for the action to resume.
The CSK CEO further said that the crowd during the practice sessions at Chepauk was huge even when they had announced that they weren't going to allow them inside the ground. He added that lives are at stake and it is difficult to handle Indian crowds. He also said that there will be financial losses but they have to live with it.
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IMAGE COURTESY: SOURAV GANGULY TWITTER
Updated 11:58 IST, April 22nd 2020