BCCI officially suspends IPL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yesterday suspended this year's Indian Premier League "till further notice" in the wake of the COVID-19 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 in COVID-19 positive cases in India.

"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 IPL franchise owners, broadcaster, sponsors and all the stakeholders acknowledge that the IPL 2020 season will only commence when it is safe and appropriate to do so," Shah added.

"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 continued.

The only window left for the BCCI to host the tournament is September-November. For that to happen, India will have to skip the Asia Cup hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board in Dubai or Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council decide to forego the T20 World Cup to create an available window.