The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to postpone the kick-off of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) amid COVID-19 scare.
Newly appointed Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) member Madan Lal has expressed his thoughts on hosting the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) behind closed doors amid COVID-19 outbreak across the globe.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to postpone the kick-off of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) amid COVID-19 scare.
The rapid spread of the virus worldwide has started seeing its serious impacts. India has imposed a 21-day lockdown till April 14 to combat the spread of novel coronavirus.
"IPL is a big brand. But the board can only take a decision once the situation improves and Coronavirus is gone. At the moment, it’s on upstage. So, no one is going to take a risk," Lal told IANS.
"Once Coronavirus is gone, cricket can obviously take place because it’s such a popular sport and is loved by all."
"Even the players would like to play in front of crowds and that can only happen once the situation fully improves," he further added.
The World Cup-winning pacer also suggested the fact that there is no point in hosting the tournament behind closed doors in empty stadiums.
"There’s no point in playing IPL matches in front of empty stands. It’s not just about the players and the fans, it’s about other people who are also involved in the process while travelling, organising, broadcasting, etc," he said.
"Once the situation improves, other series will also take place and BCCI can totally recover for the lost time," he added.
The opening match of this year's IPL was supposed to be played between the most successful teams of IPL - defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 29.
BCCI previously had claimed that no final decision has been made on the fate as the board is still monitoring the situation.
On March 23, reports suggested that BCCI is also considering to further delay the league.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), there are 6412 confirmed cases of coronavirus cases in the country and 199 fatalities have been reported.
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