IMAGE: The Central
government has suspended all visas to India till April 15 as part of measures
to contain the spread of the pandemic. Photograph: BCCI
The
under-pressure Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Friday,
suspended the start of this year's Indian Premier League from March 29 to April
15 in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused massive upheaval across
the globe.
"The
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) 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 a
statement.
This came
hours after Delhi government suspended all sporting activity in the national
capital due to the ever-growing health crisis. Delhi is home to the Delhi
Capitals IPL franchise.
The BCCI
statement made it clear that it's 'suspension' and 'not postponement' which
means that there is no clarity on whether the event will start on April 15.
Even if it
starts on April 15, it is expected to happen behind closed doors without the
fans.
So far, India
has recorded more than 70 positive cases and one death due to the pandemic
which has claimed close to 5,000 lives globally.
The BCCI will
discuss all the modalities of this year's edition at the IPL Governing Council
meeting in Mumbai on Saturday.
"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," Shah
stated.
"The
BCCI will work closely with the Government of India along with the Ministry of
Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other
relevant Central and State Government departments in this regard," he
added.
There is a
possibility that the tournament will feature more double-headers than
previously planned and at least five optional venues are being kept ready after
state governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi refused permission for
the games.
"The
only option left was postponement of the tournament till the visa ban is lifted
(April 15). All the franchises have made it clear that there is no point of an
IPL without foreign recruits," a senior BCCI official said on conditions
of anonymity.
"In any
case, foreign players with Business (B2) visa are not in exempted category. The
second reason is that three state governments have decided against having IPL
games. So, there are logistical issues that need to be sorted."
"We need
some time to figure that out," the official said.
The IPL was
originally scheduled to start on March 29 and end on May 24 making it a 56-day
affair.
In case the
BCCI is able to start the tournament on April 15, it will be a 40-day
competition as the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) of other international
teams will make it virtually impossible to stretch it beyond that point.
"Either
the format of each team playing each other twice needs to be tweaked or we have
to go for as many as possible double headers. This year, the decision was made
to have only five double headers but now things have changed drastically,"
the official said.
The franchise
owners are also hoping that in case the IPL starts on April 15, the state
governments, which have denied permission for matches, will be ready to give
the green light should the situation improves.
"The
state government is a necessary arm as they provide the security (police) and
also the various wings that work in tandem with BCCI. In case, Delhi (DC),
Bengaluru (RCB) and Maharashtra (Mumbai Indians) decide against hosting games,
there will be alternate venues that will be ready," said the BCCI source.
Some of the
alternate venues that will be kept ready include Lucknow, Rajkot, Indore,
Raipur, Visakhapatnam for these franchises.
Pune is
currently out of equation with at least 10 positive cases reported from the
city.
There are
other teething issues as well including the fee that the franchises need to pay
to the host association, which many would like to re-negotiate.
"The
franchises was supposed to pay Rs 50 lakh to host associations, which was more
than the earlier Rs 30 lakh. Certainly, they would like to re-negotiate now in
case they can't raise enough sponsorship money," a BCCI official in know
of things said.
In case of a
closed-door event and restricted public appearances by players, the franchises
are bound to lose out on a lot of sponsorship money as well as the gate money.
Star Sports, which has paid a whopping Rs 16,347 crore for
five years (nearly Rs 5500 crore per year) for broadcast rights, might like to
re-negotiate the deal with the BCCI in case of a curtailed IPL.