BCCI filled with positive hope about IPL 13 after new Unlock 1.0 guidelines unveiled

Indian home ministry announced further relaxations in lockdown 5 which will remain till June 30.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has welcomed the new guidelines issued by the Indian government which is called Unlock 1.0 as India moves towards opening up the country which has been under constant lockdown from March 24 onwards.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday issued new guidelines while extending the lockdown till June 30, but with more relaxations in the non-containment zones.

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The new MHA guidelines read, "Based on an assessment of the situation, dates for restarting following will be decided for international air travel of passengers, gymnasiums, swimming pools, social/political/sports/entertainment/academic/cultural/religious functions and large congregations.”

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal called the development a 'positive'. "It’s positive. If international travel resumes, and sporting activities will be allowed, then we can plan for the future," he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri had called IPL an integral part of the calendar and mentioned that the 13^th season of the popular T20 league can be held sometime after the monsoon ends.

The fate of the tournament would depend on the ICC decision on the T20 World Cup, which is currently scheduled for October-November this year in Australia. With Australia saying they're not in a position to hold it, the ICC is set to make a decision on the tournament on June 10.

"As far as getting a pool of players together for a camp, again we will have to wait for things to normalize further. What we can have for now is individual players working in facilities in their respective cities, based on advice from state governments," said Dhumal.

(news18.com/Hindustan Times inputs)