The 13th edition of Indian Premier League is scheduled to start on March 29.
Amid the Coronavirus threat, IPL governing council chairman Brijesh Patel on Wednesday (March 11) said that the 13th edition of Indian Premier League will go ahead as scheduled.
See Also: Govt could postpone IPL or hold it without spectators amid coronavirus threat
Speaking to The Week, Patel also revealed that the governing council is due to meet on March 14 to assess the situation surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.
"Why will COVID-19 attack only IPL? We are monitoring the situation," he said. "All cricket matches, be it Ranji Trophy final, or series between Afghanistan and Ireland, England and Sri Lanka and Australia-New Zealand are currently going ahead as per schedule. The Road Safety World Series is on. These matches have seen full houses at the stadium in Mumbai. Local trains are running, schools and colleges are not totally shut.
"We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis. We will take all necessary precautions as prescribed by WHO and Ministry of Health."
Patel further stressed that cash-rich event should not be in trouble as "nobody is coming from Italy or countries from where the government has stopped people from coming to India.”
"Let us see. The IPL Governing Council is meeting on 14th March to take stock of the situation," he said.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had earlier said that IPL 13 will go ahead as scheduled despite the growing concerns of deadly COVID-19. The former India captain had also added that the board is taking all precautionary measures to tackle the issue and ensured the tournament's smooth conduct.
The IPL 2020 is scheduled to begin on March 29, with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings in the opening match at the Wankhede Stadium.