The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday met the owners of all the franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the board headquarters in Mumbai to discuss the Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) outbreak and its impact on the upcoming 13th edition of the lucrative T20 tournament.
The BCCI along with all the IPL franchises have reiterated BCCI’s stand of putting the safety and well-being of fans, athletes and employees as a priority.
The board will continue to monitor and work closely with the Government of India, state governments and other state regulatory bodies to decide on the future course of action in the best interest of public health.
"The BCCI and all its stakeholders are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for everyone involved in our great sport and the nation," the board said in an official statement.
On Friday, the BCCI had announced the suspension of the 2020 IPL till April 15, 2020, due to the threat of novel coronavirus COVID-19. The 13th season of the tournament was earlier scheduled to take place from March 29 to May 24.
In the wake of coronavirus outbreak in many countries, a number of sporting events including the Tokyo Olympics slated to be played in July-August later this year have come under threat.
While some sports tournaments have been canceled, the others are either postponed or put behind closed doors.
The virus outbreak, which was first reported in December 2019 from Wuhan city of China, has so far affected over 100 countries and claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people and has affected more than 1,32,000 persons globally. India has reported two deaths and more than 80 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus.
