The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday advised against holding the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament in view of the prevailing situation over the Coronavirus spread. However, they left the decision to the organizers and said that they will consider it as and when a request is made to them about this.
“I think it is for the organizers to decide whether to go ahead with it or not. Our advice would be to not do it at this time but if they want to go ahead, it is their decision,” Damu Ravi, Additional Secretary and Special Coordinator in the Ministry of External Affairs for COVID-19 related cases said today.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament is scheduled to be held in the country from March 29- May 17. As always, many foreign players are expected to arrive and participate in this competition that is worth approximately USD 6.7 billion. But with India suspending visas of all foreign nationals wanting to enter India till April 15 (with the exception of a few categories), there is a cloud over the arrival of these foreign players now.
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The BCCI, meanwhile, is still exploring ways to go ahead with the popular tournament, including an option to hold matches without having any crowds in stadiums.
The number of cases in India has increased to 73 as of Thursday and could rise further.
India has been witnessing cancellations and postponements of a host of events ever since the coronavirus scare got alarming.