IPL postponed to mid-April amid COVID-19 threat

Photo courtesy: Twitter/@IPL
Photo courtesy: Twitter/@IPL

The Indian Premier League has been postponed and will now begin on April 15 as India battles the outbreak of COVID-19. 

The decision was taken at a meeting by BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah in consultation with the IPL management. The IPL Governing Council is also set to meet 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," said a statement by the BCCI. 

The tournament will in all likelihood have a changed format to make it shorter and still might end up being played behind closed doors, without spectators. 

Earlier today, the Delhi government had banned IPL matches in the city "for the purpose of prevention and control of the outbreak of the epidemic disease, COVID-19".