IPL 2020 UPDATE: BCCI, franchises to decide event's fate on Tuesday via conference call

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of all the marque sporting events across the world. One of the major sporting events that was postponed was the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). The IPL 2020, which was earlier scheduled to commence from March 29, was shiftedd to April 15 due to the cronavirus outbreak. People have been advised to stay indoors in order to minimize the risk of the spread.

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IPL postponed: IPL 2020 fate to be decided over a conference call

Now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are set to host a conference call with the IPL 2020 franchises to discuss the prospects of the tournament. A BCCI official told a leading news agency that BCCI and IPL franchises are set to have a conference call on Tuesday, March 24 to discuss the way ahead and potentially the fate of the IPL 2020.

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The BCCI had decided to postpone IPL 2020 on March 13 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The BCCI also asked its Mumbai office employees to work from home because of the coronavirus risk. With the BCCI office being closed and no meetings allowed in hotels, they opted to discuss the prospects of the IPL 2020 on a conference call.

On Saturday, the Union Health Ministry said that the total number of COVID-19 cases in India had climbed up to 258 at the time of writing this report, including 32 foreigners. 23 people have been cured in India and as many as 10,000 people have lost their lives to the disease.

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IPL 2020: BCCI to incur heavy losses if IPL 2020 gets cancelled

With the IPL being a massive revenue-generating stream, its cancellation could land a heavy blow on BCCI's financial plans for the year ahead. According to new figures that have emerged in a report, the BCCI could face losses amounting to ₹3,869.50 crores. These losses would come in the form of the broadcast and digital revenues that the BCCI was supposed to earn from sponsors. It was even reported that one of the IPL's primary broadcasters sold off most of their advertising spots for the IPL, two months ahead of the tournament's original starting date. 

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IMAGE COURTESY: INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE TWITTER