BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has rejected the possibility of cricket making its return in India in the near future saying he doesn’t believe in risking human lives for sports.
Ganguly’s comments have come after reports emerge that football season in Germany could resume in early May behind closed doors after sporting events across the globe were suspended in wake of coronavirus pandemic.
“The social reality of Germany and India are different, there will be no cricket in India in the near future,” Ganguly told Cricket Age.
“There are too many ifs and buts involved. More importantly, I don’t believe in sport when there is a risk to human life.”
Ganguly thus put an end to speculations whether Indian Premier League (IPL) could be held in front of empty stadium in the near future.
“When IPL teams travel, there’s a huge crowd at the airports, hotels, outside the stadium. How are you going to stop them if you are looking to maintain social distancing? There should be no top-flight cricket till there is a vaccine for Covid-19,” he added further.
IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO KS Viswanathan echoes Ganguly and Harbhajan’s views saying even the team’s practice sessions invite significant crowd despite restrictions.
“Did you see the crowds during our practice sessions at Chepauk when we said we can’t allow people inside the ground. Lives are at stake, you can’t control Indian crowds that easily. Yes, there will be financial losses, but we have to live with it,” Viswanathan said.
