MEA TO LET IPL ORGANISERS DECIDE ON EVENT

Fate of glitzy league uncertain; BCCI mulls games sans spectators

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday evening said that the authorities could only advise the organisers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) not to hold their sporting events in India in view of the pandemic, but that it was up to the organisers of such events to take a decision.

When asked if such events could be banned if organisers went ahead on commercial considerations, MEA additional secretary Dammu Ravi said the matter could be referred to the GoM monitoring the situation.

The fate of Indian Premier League (IPL) season 13 is uncertain following a directive from the Sports Ministry not to encourage the gathering of large crowds and advice from the External Affairs Ministry “not do it at this time but if the organisers want to go ahead, it is their decision”.

The IPL Governing Council will take a final call on the forthcoming season (from March 29) on Saturday. It is likely that even if the IPL goes ahead, which is what the BCCI is hoping for at the moment, matches will have to be held before empty stadiums toe the line of the sports ministry directive.

The cash-rich IPL might go ahead as suspending the cash rich league might bring in contractual complications involving hundreds of millions of dollars. A closed-door edition might not be the ideal solution to a sport that thrives on the presence of lively spectators at the venues besides the millions on TV.

Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan has made it clear that the fresh visa advisory from the Indian government has made it almost impossible for foreign players to join their respective teams in the Indian Premier League before April 15 unless the BCCI gets special permission. “Most of the players are travelling with business visas and that is how they come and play in the IPL. So, it will be impossible for them to join the teams unless the BCCI gets special permission,” Viswanathan said.

In Dubai, the annual board meeting of the ICC scheduled from March 2629 will now be held via video conference call.

“In light of the continued global spread of

COVID-19, concerns expressed by members and mindful of the importance of taking mitigating measures against the virus, the ICC Board, has decided to hold its meetings via conference call only,” the ICC media release stated.