The 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket competition has been “suspended until further notice”, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) have confirmed.
The IPL was initially scheduled to get underway on March 29 but was postponed as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic – as were most other sports competitions.
On Tuesday, India extended their lockdown until May 3 – making it impossible for the IPL to get back underway any time soon.
“The health and safety of the nation and everyone involved in our great sport remains our top priority,” the BCCI said.
Similarly to the UK, the lockdown in India only allows essential businesses such as pharmacies and grocery stores to open their doors.
The BCCI announced this week that all parties in the IPL have agreed the tournament “will only commence when it is safe and appropriate to do so”.
As of yet, there’s no update as to when the tournament will be able to commence.
One option the BCCI might consider is hosting the tournament outside of India – something that has been done more than once in recent times.
The 2009 tournament was held in South Africa due to security concerns while the 2014 edition was partly-hosted by the UAE as the tournament dates clashed with a general election in the country.
The tournament is an incredibly lucrative event and the 2020 edition is due to see 11 England players, including Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow all take part.
At the moment, it seems likely the tournament will go ahead at some point this year. As for when, well that’s still very much up in the air.
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