The 13th edition of the Indian T20 League is likely to be called off due to the pandemic which has affected more than 720,000 people around the globe.
The competition, which was initially staged to begin on March 29, was pushed back to April 15 due to the virus outbreak, but with the situation not changing anytime soon, it is being said that the tournament will be called off.
“Indian T20 League will not happen this year. It will now happen next year. We all know how the situation is at the moment in the country and no one will take any risk,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
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“One can’t have social distancing in the stadium. It’s better to play next year. Also, no mega auction will take place. We will inform the franchises once we get final confirmation from the Indian government, the same season can continue next season,” he added.
India, as of now, is on a 21-day lockdown, and hosting the competition under such circumstances is not ideal by any stretch of the imagination.
The uncertainties regarding this year’s edition are further pronounced by the fact that there has been no Governing Council meeting as of now, and BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly, has said that there’s no window for postponement as well.
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“There is hardly any window (for postponement),” Ganguly said. “Nothing has been discussed. Nothing has changed from what we decided on March 14 in Mumbai, when we decided to suspend the tournament till April 15. We will continue to monitor the situation.”
If the tournament is postponed to 2021, reports are that the scheduled mega auction in the year will then be pushed back by a year and the teams will be allowed to play with the same squad.
A further update regarding the topic will be provided once the Indian government and Sports Ministry make an announcement on visas.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Noah Seelam
