IPL 2020 postponed till April 15 after Coronavirus outbreak

1. The BCCI's explanation

"The BCCI has decided to suspend the IPL 2020 till April 15 as a precautionary measures against the ongoing Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)," a release from BCCI said. A top BCCI official said it was decided that the best way forward is to hold the cash-rich league, in its 13th edition, from April 15. "Yes, the internal decision has been made to postpone the start of the tournament and it will begin on April 15, the BCCI has informed the franchises about the same," the official was quoted as saying by the IANS.

2. Visa restrictions

The Indian government on Wednesday cancelled all visas, except for a few official categories, till April 15 in the wake of the growing scare. It has also made the overseas players unavailable till April 15 and it has been reported that the visa application of David Warner, the Sunrisers Hyderabad captain, has been rejected.

In the meeting held at Nirman Bhavan in the national capital, it was decided that all existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/international organisations, employment and project visas, stand suspended till April 15 as the coronavirus outbreak has already seen over 60 positive cases in India.

3. IPL GC meeting

The BCCI is set to meet the IPL team owners on Saturday before the start of the IPL Governing Council meeting and the way forward will be discussed then including the scheduling and how the match should be conducted - most likely behind the closed doors.

4. The teams' stand

The franchises are clear that while they are fine to have the games minus the fans, they want the foreign players as that is what makes the IPL a cricket carnival.

"Yes, we have been informed that the IPL will now start from April 15, but what we need clarity on the availability of the foreign players. The IPL loses its charm if we don't have the four foreigners in the teams. After all, they are just as integral a part of the teams as the Indian stars," an official of a franchise said.