IPL 2020: Tournament "very Much On", Measures Will Be Taken To Tackle Coronavirus Threat, Says Ganguly

IPL 2020: Tournament "very Much On", Measures Will Be Taken To Tackle Coronavirus Threat, Says Ganguly 



The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly assured fans and media that the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is "very much on schedule", despite the threat posed by the rapid-spread of the novel coronavirus. In a chat with PTI, Ganguly pointed out that country teams all over the world are still playing and all precautions will be taken to ensure the tournament isn't affected. The BCCI president however, couldn't provide any specifics as to what measures will be taken to ensure safety of both fans and players inside packed venues. The cricketing extravaganza is scheduled to get underway on March 29, with a tournament opener between last-year's finalist Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium. India's coronavirus patient count currently stands at 31, including 16 Italian tourists. Internationally, the deadly outbreak has so far killed more than 3,300 people and infected nearly 100,000 in about 85 countries. "IPL is very much on. Everywhere, the tournaments are going on. England are already in Sri Lanka. South Africa are here. There are no issues," Ganguly asserted. "County teams are travelling all over the world. They are travelling to Abu Dhabi, UAE to play. So there is no problem," he added. Asked about the precautionary measures to ensure that players and fans are not affected, Ganguly said a medical team is thrashing out the specifics. "We will take all precautions. I don't know exactly what are the extra measures. It's only medical team which will tell us about that," he said. "The medical team is already in touch with the hospitals so that everything is available.

 We will do what the doctors say. They are the professionals. "All medical issues will be addressed by the medical team. Every tournament will go on," he added. The coronavirus outbreak has severely impacted the global sporting schedules with one of the disease epicentres, Italy, banning fans from venues till April. Olympic test events have been postponed or cancelled in Japan, another badly-affected country. There are growing concerns about


 the fate of the Tokyo Olympics in July-August despite the International Olympic Committee's assertion that the quadrennial showpiece will go ahead as planned. (With PTI Inputs) Time to show-off your poker skills and win Rs.25 lakhs with no investment. Register Now!