IPL 2020: Franchises Ready to Take a Bold Step on Coronavirus Outbreak

In the light of the Covid-19 outbreak, the BCCI has postponed the IPL 2020 from March 29 to April 15. Considering the health of the players, all the franchises have also suspended their training sessions until further notice. The coronavirus pandemic has affected all the cricketing tournaments across the globe.

Indian Government bans entry of foreigners

After WHO declared the coronavirus as a “global pandemic”, the Indian government has suspended all tourist and student visas as well as the visa-free entry of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card till April 15, 2020. This has become the biggest concern for the IPL franchises. The overseas cricketers are important for the franchises. Therefore, issuing of visa to foreign players is a must for them.

On Monday (March 16), the Indian government issued an advisory stating that the passengers coming from UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait need to go through compulsory quarantine for a minimum period of 14 days.

Franchises ready to quarantine overseas cricketers for 14 days

The teams are prepared to quarantine the overseas players for 14 days if the government allows them to fly into the country.

An official of one of the franchises stated, “Yes, the fresh advisory calls for 14-day quarantine for travel from some countries and if the stance remains the same post-March 31, that shouldn’t be an issue. If we get a clearance from the government, then quarantining the players shouldn’t be a big deal.?

Suspense over the IPL 2020 continues

BCCI conducted a conference call on March 16 to discuss the fate of the upcoming Indian Premier League tournament. Amid rising coronavirus cases in India, IPL 2020 can be called off. All of this now depends on the health and sports department. The state governments should also be ready to host the tournament. A source told that for IPL 2020 to happen the government needs to provide relaxation in travel advisory and allow foreign players in the country. He further confirmed that no big decisions were taken at the conference. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) would conduct such meetings every week. Also, the foreign players will need a 5-day window to adjust before they can take the field.

We can only wait to see if the BCCI can host the IPL 2020 from April 15, 2020.