Still unexplained
The hunt for the origins of Covid-19 has for the past four years been a tangled web of politics, power struggles, and international finger-pointing.
Under fire for a long time for their decision to go ahead with the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the BCCI on Friday postponed the start of the cash-rich league from March 29 to April 15.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) situation,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in an official statement.
“The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders, and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience,” the Board stated.
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The decision came hours after the Delhi government informed that it will not allow any sports event, including the matches of the IPL, in the national capital due to pandemic.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “To stop the Corona disease from spreading in Delhi, all sports gathering (including IPL), big seminars, conferences have been postponed,”
He further added, “All the DMs and SMDs will make sure that all the health advisories related to the disease are followed in their areas. We have to fight the pandemic together.”
Sports gatherings including IPL prohibited in Delhi pic.twitter.com/ALLf7J1NUo
— Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) March 13, 2020
The fate of the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league looks bleak. Maharashtra has banned the selling of the tickets while the Karnataka government has sought for the advice of Health Ministry on whether the IPL matches should be held in Bengaluru.
A Public Information Litigation (PIL) was filed in Madras High Court earlier this week seeking a cancellation of the 13th edition of IPL in India due to the crisis that has been created by the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, various reports have emerged that BCCI is mulling the decision to stage Indian cricket’s biggest extravaganza behind the closed doors taking inspiration from other sports events across the world.
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