It's official: BCCI suspends IPL 2020 till further notice over coronavirus

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday suspended the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) "till further notice" in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 400 lives and affected over 12,000 in the country.

"Due to the evolving global health concerns regarding Covid-19 and lockdown measures implemented by the Government of India to contain the spread of the pandemic, the IPL Governing Council of the BCCI has decided that the IPL 2020 Season will be suspended till further notice," said BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a statement.

The IPL was set to start on March 29 and end on May 24, but it was first postponed till April 15 after a surge of coronavirus positive cases in India. However, with situation not being conducive for any sporting activity and the country in the midst of a 40-day lockdown, the BCCI didn't issue any fresh date.

"The health and safety of the nation and everyone involved in our great sport remains our top priority and as such, the BCCI along with the franchise owners, broadcaster, sponsors and all the stakeholders acknowledges that the IPL 2020 season will only commence when it is safe and appropriate to do so," Shah further stated.

While the BCCI is non committal on when cricket could resume in the country, Shah maintained that India's richest sporting body is monitoring the situation and will seek guidance from the government as well as states.

"BCCI will continue to monitor and review the situation regarding a potential start date in close partnership with all of its stakeholders and will continue to take guidance from the Government of India, State Governments and other State Regulatory bodies," Shah added.

 
When IPL 2020 may now be held
 
The only window for an IPL in the current year would be between September and November, provided Cricket Australia and the ICC agree to reschedule the T20 World Cup. The six-month travel restrictions in Australia end on September 30 if the situation becomes normal and the World Cup is scheduled in October-November.
 
The other option is having a curtailed IPL in six weeks between September and early October as it's highly unlikely that the Asia Cup will happen.

However, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani has asserted that the PCB will not agree to cancelling the Asia Cup, scheduled in the UAE in September, to make room for the Indian Premier League.
 

Money riding on the Indian Premier League 

• BCCI earns Rs 4,000 crore through broadcasting and digital rights, and 20 per cent of franchisee revenues and sponsorships.
• Each franchisee makes Rs 250-300 crore from share of central revenues, home stadia ticket sales, licensing fee, merchandising and advertising, and sponsors of the team.
• Disney is expected to make Rs 3,000 crore from advertising and broadcasting sponsors as it beams the matches on TV and its OTT channel, Disney-Hotstar.
• Rs 700 crore fees of players, including foreign ones, at stake.

 

Here is the list of major sports tournaments that get cancelled or postponed due to coronavirus pandemic:
  

Major sports events affected by Coronavirus pandemic
Sports event	Status
Tokyo Olympics	Postponed to 2021
Cricket
India vs South Africa ODI series	Cancelled
Australia vs New Zealand (2nd and 3rd ODI)	Cancelled
Pakistan Super League	Suspended
England vs Sri Lanka Test series	Cancelled
Australia vs Bangladesh Test series	Postponed
Archery
World Cup in Shanghai	Cancelled
Badminton
China masters	Postponed
German Open	Cancelled
Asian Championships	Suspended
India Open	Suspended
Swiss Open	Suspended
Malaysian Open	Suspended
Singapore Open	Suspended
Thomas and Uber Cup finals	Postponed from May to Auguts 2020
Tennis
All AITA tournaments	Cancelled
BNP Paribas Open	Cancelled
Miami Open	Cancelled
Monte Carlo Masters	Cancelled
French Open	Postponed to Sept 20-OCt 4
Wimbledon 2020	Cancelled
Athletics
World Indoor Championships Nanjing	Postponed to March 2021
Field Hockey
India's tour of Japan (Jr Women's Asia Cup)	Postponed
FIH Pro League	Suspended till June
Basketball
NBA	Suspended
Shooting
New Delhi World Cup	postponed to May 5-12 and June 2-9
Boxing
World Cup in Germany	Cancelled
Formula one
Australian GP	Cancelled
Bahrain GP	Postponed
Vietnamese GP	Postponed
Chinese GP	Postponed
Monaco GP	Cancelled
Azerbaijan GP	Postponed
Football
Champions League	Suspended till further notice
Europa League	Suspended till further notice
EPL and FA Cup	Postponed till April 30
Euro 2020	Postponed to 2021
Copa America	postponed to 2021
Fifa U-17 Women's World Cup	Postponed