Published 14:06 IST, April 14th 2020
Lockdown extension to May 3 will make us postpone IPL 2020 further: BCCI sources
The BCCI was supposed to kick off IPL 2020 on March 29 but the tournament has now been pushed to a date after May 3. Here are all the details and updates.
Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become one of the biggest sports leagues in the world. Every year, the IPL entertains a massive crowd on over-the-air platforms and the multiple venues it gets hosted in. The BCCI's preparation for IPL 2020 was in full speed when the coronavirus pandemic started tightening its grip around the globe. Soon enough, Sourav Ganguly's BCCI had to take a precautionary call and they had IPL 2020 postponed beyond April 15 from its original starting date on March 29.
ALSO READ | No IPL talks before country stands on its feet: BCCI 'wants to forget Cricket for a while'
BCCI source says that IPL is further postponed due to lockdown extension
On Tuesday morning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and announced that the nationwide lockdown is being extended till May 3. The originally 21-day lockdown was imposed in late March and was supposed to get over on Tuesday night. The fact that the government is pushing forward the lockdown has now impacted the IPL too. ANI on Tuesday tweeted BCCI sources claiming that due to India's lockdown extension, the IPL has been postponed till at least May 3. Here is the tweet.
ALSO READ | BCCI treasurer calls speculating on IPL having October-November window 'premature': Report
IPL 2020 postponed till May 3
Now that the BCCI has IPL 2020 postponed to beyond May 3, it is very possible that the tournament may be chopped in length, if at all it happens. Reports had earlier emerged of the IPL 2020 being held in only Maharashtra to combat time constraints but the state has the most coronavirus hotspots. Other reports are also suggesting the IPL being held in October - November instead of the T20 World Cup (in case it is cancelled) but a BCCI official recently commented that making the IPL happen in October will be much more complicated than it seems. The BCCI is yet to release an elaborate plan of action after PM Narendra Modi's new update.
Updated 14:06 IST, April 14th 2020