BCCI suspended IPL 2020 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
As the global Coronavirus pandemic hit India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to postponed all cricketing events in the country for the time being due to the ever-growing health crisis.
On Friday (March 13), the BCCI called off the ongoing ODI series against South Africa as well as suspended the start of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 from 29 March to 15 April for the sake of human life safety as the deadly virus has been spreading rapidly in India.
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The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and IPL GC’s move has been lauded by many and now the latest is co-owner of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) Ness Wadia who also hailed the decision, saying “no human life is worth sacrificing for IPL”.
As per reports in PTI, Wadia said of the move: “No human life is worth sacrificing for IPL which should not take place if the situation doesn’t improve in two-three weeks. There can be no compromise for even one human life. If we cancel the IPL and end up saving one life, it will be worth it. That is my personal opinion. It is better to be safe than sorry.”
With the coronavirus spreading across the world including India, there are high possibilities of canceling the IPL 2020 or conducting the cash-rich event without spectators after April 15.
Wadia revealed that all the IPL franchise owners will be meeting the IPL officials on Saturday before the governing council meets regarding the fate of the tournament in India.
He signed off by saying, “The first benchmark is April 15. If the situation improves after two-three weeks, it could be reconsidered, if not then IPL should definitely not happen.”
Noteworthy, India has recorded more than 80 coronavirus cases so far with the global infected count standing at over 1,30,000, while the death record crossed beyond 5,000 internationally due to the outbreak of the life-threatening virus.
(With PTI Inputs)