Coronavirus update: IPL 2020 postponed till April 15

The rise in the number of coronavirus cases has prompted Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone IPL 2020. As a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 infection, the BCCI postponed the tournament till April 15. The Twenty20 cricket tournament was scheduled to commence on March 29.

"We have decided to suspend IPL 2020 till April 15, as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation," BCCI said.

The news came after Delhi government suspended all the matches of this year's IPL in the national capital. "We have decided to ban any sports activity where people will gather in huge numbers like IPL," Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said.

"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.

So far, India has recorded 78 cases of coronavirus infection, according to the Union Health Ministry. A 76-year old from Kalaburagi, Karnataka, with a travel history to Saudi Arabia, became the first fatality of COVID-19 in India.

The Centre scaled up several measures to contain the coronavirus spread in the country. Indian government suspended visas of all foreign nationals coming to the country from today till 15 April. So, no foreign player will be available for this year's IPL till that time, a top BCCI official told.

Indian cricket board said it will work closely with the central government to tackle the situation.

The BCCI is all set to meet the IPL team owners on Saturday to discuss the way forward. IPL governing council meeting is also scheduled on March 14.

Several international sports event like Australian Grand Prix and NBA were cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak which killed nearly 5,000 people worldwide.