Franchises prepare for total IPL 2020 call-off as owners conference call is set to happen on March 16

The IPL 2020 has become the biggest victim of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic as it is becoming more likely that the richest T20 league in the world, may not be played altogether or happen in a curtailed form. The BCCI and franchise owners will be having a conference call on March 16 to discuss various possibilities and prepare accordingly.

The call is scheduled to happen at 6 pm on Monday, March 16, 2020, and the unanimous call is to keep safety the biggest priority. The Maharashtra government has already banned the sale of IPL tournament opener that was supposed to take place on March 29 between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. They have also ordered the closures of cinema halls, malls and other places of mass gatherings as well to keep people in their homes.

Franchise owners subconsciously ready to see the league get canceled this season

“We are having a conference call today in the evening and we will discuss the situation, but just look around. Schools, colleges, malls, theaters have all been closed. In fact, even gyms have closed now after the fresh directive from the health department. So, in such a scenario, it is only obvious that we might get to a situation where the league may have to be called off for a season,” a franchise official was quoted by India Today.

The official termed at least INR 15-20 crores of losses when it comes to salaries and other logistics if the league is called-off this season. He also counted other losses in terms of merchandise sales which owners will have to bear, despite the tickets and many other things being insured. But nothing beats human safety is what all the owners are united on.

Will the foreign boards allow its players to play in IPL?

Another official of a franchise touched upon the scenarios of foreign boards allowing their players to play in the IPL, even if the BCCI arranged for the Indian government to grant visas to incoming players from other countries. “What also needs to be checked is whether the foreign boards will allow their players to come in if and when the government makes an exception for the players. While all boards want the IPL to happen at present, you never know what the call will be at the end of the month,” he added.

The Indian government has banned all visas, except for a few official categories, till April 15. The Sports Ministry also followed this up by making it clear that all sporting events should be canceled in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. If that’s unavoidable, the events must take place behind close doors, in empty stadiums.