Over The Top
The BCCI’s announcement on Friday suspending the IPL till April 15 came after a week of mounting suspense whether the league — among the most valued sports properties in the world — would be able to start on schedule, March 29.
With Covid-19 being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the world in a panic about the spread and impact of the virus, virtually all sports events have been badly hit. The IPL could hardly be an exception.
A cursory glance at the international sports calendar highlights the havoc caused by menacing virus. In the US, which actually reacted late to the threat, the NBA (Basketball), NHL (Hockey), MLB (Basketball), NCAA (College Athletics) stand suspended indefinitely. The PGA (Golf) has been suspended for three weeks.
In Europe, major football leagues like Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Portuga’s Primera Liga and League of Ireland are among those suspended. The Premier League, after initially announcing it would go ahead with matches, was to take a call on suspending the season as I write this.
In China, Japan, South Korea sports tournaments at virtually every level have been suspended without time limit being defined. The Australian Grand Prix, scheduled for today, was cancelled just a couple of days back. In tennis, the ATP is suspended for six weeks and the WTA 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.
Akash Ambani, the owner of Mumbai Indians.
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 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