Published 19:53 IST, March 23rd 2020
IPL 2020 happening from first week of May could be possible: BCCI official
IPL 2020: A BCCI official claimed that the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League can go ahead if it begins in the first week of May.
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BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that IPL 2020 has been postponed till April 15, 2020, at the very least. However, there is still hope that BCCI will go ahead with the tournament if it is given the green light in the coming weeks. An unnamed official revealed that IPL 2020 will successfully go ahead if it can start in the first week of May 2020.
IPL 2020 postponed
Participation of Australian players unsure amid coronavirus outbreak
#Covid_19 Australian cricketers joining #IPL2020 and The Hundred in doubt #CoronavirusOutbreak #CoronavirusPandemic https://t.co/SzuoJ1qXip
— Republic (@republic) March 17, 2020
IPL can also be played from the first week of May: BCCI official
In an interview with a reliable Indian publication house, an unnamed BCCI official claimed "The latest we can wait is till the end of April. If the first game isn't played by the first week of May then it will be almost impossible to have the league this year. Even if we have to wait till the end of April to follow all the procedures, we can take a cue from the South Africa edition and conduct the league successfully. If you remember, that was the shortest IPL with 59 games played over 37 days and we can do the same. But certain measures will have to be taken."
In addition to that, the report further stated that government approval is needed to go ahead with the tournament if it does begin in the first week of May. "You cannot travel around the country in such a scenario. If we get the necessary permissions, we will have to stick to a place like Maharashtra where we have three stadiums in Mumbai and a stadium in Pune. I am sure this will then help us ensure that teams not only get fresh wickets to play, but also there is minimal travel involved. But before that, the government must deem it fit to organise tournaments. Public and player safety is the priority as the BCCI President has time and again".
IPL cancelled: IPL 2020 postponed amid coronavirus outbreak
VIVO IPL 2020
— Ashif Alam (@AshifAl77147467) March 20, 2020
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 HONOURY pic.twitter.com/HPonOUL8dl
Also Read | IPL 2020: CSK star Deepak Chahar confident of faster recovery if tournament is postponed
19:53 IST, March 23rd 2020