After playing a spoilsport in a majority of sports events around the globe, the novel Coronavirus outbreak might impact the scheduling of one of the most followed domestic T20 cricket competition – Indian Premier League (IPL).
To discuss the future of the 13th edition of IPL, the governing council members will meet at BCCI headquarters on Saturday. The decision comes after Maharashtra government discussed the possibility of staging IPL matches behind close doors, including the season opener and the final at the Wankhede.
IPL is scheduled to begin on March 29 with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. “We will meet in the next 2/3 days and discuss the scenario. There has been no official communication so far but the situation has reached a stage where we cannot remain oblivious to what is happening around us. More importantly, the situation is changing dramatically every day as the number of persons affected seem to be on the rise,” a GC member said on Tuesday.
It is expected that BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah will also attend the Governing Council meeting, which will be headed by chairman Brijesh Patel.
Cricket Age understands that a lot will depend on how the upcoming three-match ODI series between India and South Africa will pan out as BCCI will be keeping a close eye on the proceedings.
“Upcoming three-match ODI series between India and South Africa will give us a clear picture in deciding the fate of IPL. Indeed, there is a posibilty of postponing the mega event” a top BCCI official told Cricket Age.
