Fate of IPL 2020 Can Only be Decided After 15 April: Kiren Rijiju

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said BCCI decides on IPL matters but the pandemic will affect the lives of the citizens of the country.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Sports Ministry has made it clear that the fate of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League can be decided only after the government comes out with a fresh advisory after 15 April, keeping in mind the situation with regards to the coronavirus outbreak.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju reiterated that while it is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which decides on cricketing matters, the pandemic is something which has a direct effect on the lives of the citizens of the country.

"After 15 April the government will come up with new advisory and guidelines according to the situation,” the Sports Minister said. “BCCI is a body that looks after cricket which is not an Olympic sport.”

“But here it is not the question of the sporting event alone but a question of the safety of the citizens. In an event there will be thousands of spectators. So it is not just for the sports bodies or sportspersons it is for every citizen of the country.”

Kiren Rijiju, Union Sports Minister

The BCCI earlier put the IPL on hold till April 15 even though the tournament was set to start from 29 March after the government issued a travel advisory which made it clear that foreign players wouldn't be issued visas to come into the country. This was done in a meeting on 11 March.

The Sports Ministry on March 12 made it clear that all sporting events should be cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. And if it is unavoidable, the events should be held behind closed doors so as to avoid mass gatherings.

The Delhi government went a step further and said that there would be no IPL matches in the national capital till March 31.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly also informed the media after the meeting with IPL franchise owners last Saturday at the BCCI HQ in Mumbai that all calls would be taken keeping in mind the advisory from the government.