IPL 2020: Chennai Super Kings suspend nets; how teams are battling Coronavirus

Bengaluru, March 14: The Coronavirus outbreak has forced the postponement of IPL 2020 at least until April 15 and the now the BCCI bigwigs, IPL Governing Council members, teams' representatives are in a huddle to chart out the best way forward.

In these tough times, several IPL teams and officials have come up to ways to tackle to the Covid-19, declared as pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). A closer look.

1. CSK suspend practice sessions

Chennai Super Kings' practice sessions will stand suspended from Saturday (March 14) in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The three-time IPL champions had commenced training from March 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu getting down to work.

"Chennai Super Kings practice sessions at M A Chidambaram stadium stands suspended from March 14, considering the present COVID-19 situation," Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) secretary RS Ramasaamy said in a press release.

2. Kings XI Punjab concerned

"No human life is worth sacrificing for IPL which should not take place if the situation doesn't improve in two-three weeks," said co-owner of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab Ness Wadia. Wadia, who spoke to the BCCI officials including president Sourav Ganguly, said the situation has to improve for the IPL to take place. "There can be no compromise for even one human life. If we cancel the IPL and end up saving one life, it will be worth it. That is my personal opinion. It is better to be safe than sorry," said Wadia. "The first benchmark is April 15. If the situation improves after two-three weeks, it could be reconsidered, if not then IPL should definitely not happen," said Wadia.

3. Virat Kohli urges caution

A day after the BCCI called off the India vs South Africa ODI series and postponed the upcoming edition of the IPL due to the coronavirus outbreak, India and Royal Challengers captain Virat Kohli urged people to be careful and vigilant. "Let's stay strong and fight the #COVID19 outbreak by taking all precautionary measures. Stay safe, be vigilant and most importantly remember, prevention is better than cure. Please take care everyone," said Kohli.

4. Ganguly focusses on safety

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said the "first priority is safety" after the board suspended the start of IPL 2020. "Let's stick to the postponement (at the moment). First priority is safety, so we postponed the games," Ganguly said. "We will see what happens. It is too early to answer," said Ganguly when asked if there will be more double headers if they are able to host it from April 15. Asked whether the IPL franchises are happy, Ganguly said, "Nobody has a choice."