The BCCI last week rescheduled the start of IPL 2020 from March 29 to April 15 in wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
While the franchise owners and the Indian board are finding ways to conduct the 13th edition of IPL, they are subconsciously ready to see the tournament gets called off this season.
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In an interview with IANS, an official of one of the franchises said that the owners will have a conference call at 6 pm on Monday (March 16).
"We are having a conference call today in the evening and we will discuss the situation, but just look around. Schools, colleges, malls, theaters have all been closed. In fact, even gyms have closed now after the fresh directive from the health department. So, in such a scenario, it is only obvious that we might get to a situation where the league may have to be called off for a season," the official quoted.
Another official said that it was unanimously decided in the last meeting with BCCI that safety is the main concern and we all stand united in this.
Asked if the franchises are ready to bear the losses, the official said there was no other option.
"See, we will be having basic loses of around Rs 15-20 crore which comes with paying salaries and other things that come with the successful organization of the league. But there are other loses as well like those that come from merchandise sales etc. While tickets and all are insured, these are loses which the franchises will have to bear if the tournament doesn't happen. But then, we all realise that nothing beats human safety," the official said.
Earlier, as per the reports, the franchises had agreed to play behind closed doors but not without their overseas cricketers. So now the question arises – will foreign boards allow their players to participate in these trying conditions?
"Rightly pointed, even as we keep talking about getting foreign players their visas, what also needs to be checked is whether the foreign boards will allow their players to come in if and when the government makes an exception for the players. While all boards want the IPL to happen at present, you never know what the call will be at the end of the month. It all depends on whether we see a drastic positive change in the situation," an official of one of the franchises told IANS.
As of Monday (March 16), India has tested more than 110 positive cases for COVID-19 and recorded two deaths due to the deadly disease, which has claimed over 6,500 lives globally while infecting close to 1,69,000.
