Is sport more important than life?

Women’s Tennis have suspended for five.

Some leagues, notably in football, are continuing with matches behind closed doors. This means there will be no spectators at the stadia, but live coverage of the matches will be beamed to homes. The German Bundesliga, Champions League and Europa League are among these. But the situation here too could change swiftly.

In cricket, the Australian Cricket Board dithered about whether to cancel the ODI series against New Zealand or not, then decided to go ahead with the matches without spectators. But the series is still under threat.

Kane Richardson (since cleared) and Lockie Ferguson reported flu-like symptoms, which have caused alarm not just in the cricket administration Down Under, but all over the world. England have postponed their tour of Sri Lanka.

The IPL was still hanging fire, but in this scenario, it became impossible for the BCCI to remain impervious to the crisis.

The decision to suspend the League and — less significantly — defer the ODI series against South Africa was inevitable.

Apart from the WHO alert, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also issued an advisory that the tournament be suspended, leaving the final decision to the BCCI. But the missive was unambiguous, sealing the issue.

Given the ramifications of even shifting playing dates — leave aside calling off the tournament — the Indian

Assocation the season cricket Board was understandably reluctant to take a hasty call. A tournament of this scale is a monumental logistical exercise where even minor tweaking at such a late stage has serious consequences.

Then there is the financial aspect. The IPL is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. The interest of every stakeholder — franchise owners, broadcasters, sponsors, players, fans, not to mention the BCCI itself — had to be scrutinized minutely before reaching a decision.

However, there was no room to manouvre. Had the BCCI been dogmatic about holding the tournament, not only would it have raised a stink, but there was still no guarantee that the IPL could have been conducted successfully.

As it stands, the Indian government has decided that people coming from high-risk countries — which is now becoming every country in the world) will not be given visas. And what if several overseas players refuse to come, unwilling to spend days in quarantine as may be required?

But a pandemic is not limited by country, colour, caste, class. This kind of sentiment can have a cascading effect, and could see the IPL virtually bereft of talent, overseas and domestic. The crux issue is, of course, the peril involved to everybody. While sport plays a big role in our existence, and cricket in India particularly so, is it more important than life itself? The answer is an emphatic no: not even if there is the slightest risk.

All things considered, the decision to suspend the IPL is the right one. If the Covid-19 threat abates, the tournament can commence with a rejigged itinerary, including more double headers etc. It’s an unfortunate for everybody, but there are not ordinary times we live in.