There is a lot of buzz about the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which remains suspended “until further notice” due to COVID-19 outbreak.
Amid the speculations, India's Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday (May 24) said any decision to allow the IPL 2020 to go ahead this year would be taken by the government, not the BCCI.
"In India, the government has to take a call and it will be depending on the situation of the pandemic, how we progress as a nation," Rijiju told a television channel, reported Reuters.
Recently, the Indian board said it would consider staging the cash-rich event in October-November window if the T20 World Cup, which is slated to be held in Australia during those months, did not go ahead.
However, Rijiju made it clear that the IPL will be organized only if there was no risk to public health.
"We can't put health of the nation at risk just because we want sporting events to be held. Our focus is fighting COVID-19," he added.
If the IPL 2020 gets called off completely, the BCCI and stakeholders are expected to lose over Rs 3800 Crore. The T20 tournament was originally scheduled to start on March 29.
