Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju made it clear that the fate of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will be decided only after April 15, as following the date, the government will come up with new advisory and guidelines according to the situation about the global coronavirus outbreak.
With each passing day, the number of COVID-19 positive cases rises rapidly in India, which causing the dark clouds over the 13th edition of the IPL 2020.
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On Thursday (March 19), India recorded 166th coronavirus case wile death record jumped close to 9000 globally with 2 lakh infected peoples so far.
The Sports Minister has on Thursday restated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) isn't controlled by the Indian Sports Ministry, but in this critical situation because of the COVID-19, the safety of the citizens is far important than any particular sport and event in the country.
Mr. Rijiju said of the IPL 2020: “IPL is already suspended, we will see what happens after 15th. BCCI may not be under us but this is not about sport but about the safety of citizens. After April 15 the government will come up with new advisory and guidelines according to the situation."
He added, "BCCI is a body that looks after cricket which is not an Olympic sport. But here it is not the question of the sporting event alone but a question of the safety of the citizens. In an event, there will be thousands of spectators. So, it is not just for the sports bodies or sportspersons it is for every citizen of the country.”
Last week, the BCCI suspended the start of the IPL from March 29 to April 15 after the government issued a travel advisory – which didn’t allow the visas to visitors including foreign players.
The Sports Ministry also made it clear that all sporting events should be canceled in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak across the globe, though the games can be held behind closed doors to avoid mass gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus if it is unavoidable.
(With IANS Inputs)
