Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 13th edition seems sketchy due to COVID-19. The novel coronavirus poses a potential threat and the main question that arises is that of the fate of IPL 2020. The office-bearers of BCCI would arrive in Mumbai on 13/3/20. This would be a day before the governing council (GC) of the IPL was scheduled to meet. They were supposed to discuss the advisory released by the sports ministry which was inclusive of the national sports federation and BCCI.
The advisory had stated that there would be no public gathering at any sporting event. Any kind of sport would be played behind closed doors in the absence of any spectators. Due to this advisory, neither the BCCI nor the IPL GC would be in any sort of rush for any further announcements. The committee had decided to wait out the situation. For any match to be canceled it takes lesser than 48 hours and to organize the same takes weeks of practice and planning.
The sports ministry has clearly stated that the match would be played in the absence of any sort of audience. This means that the matches are on for now. The matches would be played according to schedule. There has been no change in this aspect. The only repercussion that could happen is that the tournament could be postponed.
The chances of cancellation seem bleak as the Government advisory had allowed BCCI to plan the tournament. They stated that only a mass outbreak of the virus could cancel the tournament. The best option according to them is playing to empty stands and following the Government Advisory.
