Coronavirus Pandemic: Govt Advises against Conducting IPL as India Count Rises to 73

The Ministry of External Affairs has advised against conducting the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but maintained that the right to call off the tournament rests with the organisers.

“We advise against conducting the IPL but the final decision lies with organisers,” the MEA said in a statement.

The government issued a fresh advisory with a ban on all existing foreign visas, except a few categories like diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in the wake of new positive cases of novel coronavirus in the country.

India has reported 60 positive cases in the outbreak which has led to over 4,000 deaths globally.

No foreign player will be available for this year’s IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by the government to contain the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak, a top BCCI source told PTI on Thursday.

Additionally, the Road Safety Legends T20 meet from Thursday will be held behind closed doors with matches in Pune cancelled due to eight COVID-19 cases being reported in the city.

The Maharashtra and Karnataka governments are already wary of organising home games of Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.