The Delhi government on Friday stated that no Indian Premier League matches will be held in the national capital in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that all sports activities, including the IPL, will be suspended. “We have decided to ban any sports activity where people will gather in huge numbers like IPL. Social distancing is important to curb the breakout of coronavirus,” Sisodia was quoted by ANI.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will decide on the fate of the T20 tournament this year at the IPL governing council meeting on Saturday amid coronavirus fears. The IPL is cheduled to begin on March 29.
Meanwhile BCCI President Sourav Ganguly in is talks to convince IPL franchises to hold the tournament behind closed doors.
Sporting events across the world have taken a hit since the coronavirus outbreak as matches are either being postponed or being played behind closed doors.
The sports ministry had on Thursday urged national federations in India to avoid large gatherings and follow the advisories issued by the government. As part of the preventive measure, all foreign visas, except for categories like diplomatic and employment, were suspended. Following this, it was announced that no foreign players will play in the IPL till April 15 this year.
In India, the number of infected people currently stand at 75.
