IPL postponed, India vs S.A. ODI's called off due to corona virus

IPL postponed, India vs S.A. ODI's called off due to corona virus

IPL 2020 has been postponed due to corona virus. It will now start from April 15 instead of March 29, as confirmed by BCCI on 14 march. 

In its statement announcing the decision on Friday afternoon, the BCCI said "it was suspending the IPL until April 15 as a precautionary measure against the corona virus. 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 BCCI will work closely with the Government of India along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other relevant Central and State Government departments in this regard," the statement added.

Shah Rukh Khan took to social media to welcome the decision and said "the safety of players, fans and officials is paramount. He also stated that the directives from the government of India will be followed to curb the spreading of the virus."

SRK’s post read: “Wonderful to meet all the Franchise owners ‘off the field’ so to say. The meeting by @Bcci and @ipl was to reiterate what all of us feel...safety first of the spectators, players management & cities we play in. All directives of the health agencies & govt to be followed.. 

On the eve of the India-South Africa ODI series opener, on March 11, the BCCI shared its first public statement on the corona virus saying a list of dos-and-don'ts were distributed to all stakeholders including the players who had been asked not to shake hands or use third-party phones to take selfies during interactions with the fans.

Later on Friday, it was confirmed that the final two ODIs of the South Africa series, in Lucknow (March 15) and Kolkata (March 18) will not be played for the same reason.

The BCCI statement came at the back of the announcement made by the Delhi government that it will not allow any sporting activity in the national capital due to the health crisis caused by corona virus.