Coronavirus: BCCI Meets IPL Franchise Owners to Reiterate "Safety First" amid Outbreak

Mumbai, March 14, 2020:

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday met the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises owners a day after it postponed the 13^th edition amid novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in India.

The BCCI held a meeting with all the stakeholders of the IPL at the Board headquarters in Mumbai to discuss the gravity of the health crisis in the country and its impact on the upcoming season.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner and Actor Shahrukh Khan said, "Wonderful to meet all the Franchise owners ‘off the field’ so to say. The meeting by

 

" data-focusable="true">@Bcci and

 

" data-focusable="true">@ipl was to reiterate what all of us feel...safety first of the spectators, players management & cities we play in. All directives of the health agencies & govt to be followed.."

 

On Friday, BCCI suspended IPL matches till April 15, 2020 as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. A statement issued by the cricket body stated, “The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience.”

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It further added, “The BCCI will work closely with the Government of India along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other relevant Central and State Government departments in this regard.”

On Saturday, the BCCI, along with all the IPL franchises reiterated its stand of putting safety and well-being of fans, athletes and employees as a priority. “The board will continue to monitor and work closely with Government of India, state governments and other state regulatory bodies to decide on the future course of action in the best interest of public health,” read a statement issued by the Honorary Secretary, BCCI, Jay Shah.

The Government of Delhi prohibited all sports activities, including the IPL that would involve mass gatherings to prevent the further spread of the dreaded Novel Coronavirus.

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Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia said, “All the sports activities including IPL matches have been postponed in Delhi till further notice. Coronavirus has been declared an epidemic by the government and we are taking all precautionary measures.”

It may be mentioned here that the 13th edition of the IPL was scheduled to be held in seven states of India, which also are some of the most affected places. The opener was to be played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.

The Government of India has declared face masks and hand sanitizers as essential commodities for the next 100 days to boost supply of these products and prevent hoarding in the wake of rising cases of novel coronavirus in India.

The virus has so far claimed two lives in India – one being a 76-year-old resident of Karnataka, the other is a 68-year-old woman from Delhi. The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China in December, 2019 has claimed as many as 5,436 deaths worldwide, and 67,889 people are currently affected. 6,082 (or 9 percent) are said to be in serious/critical condition.

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