IPL 2020: Foreign Players Unavailable For IPL Till April 15 Due To Visa Restrictions

The coronavirus outbreak looks set to play spoilsport in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The thirteenth edition of the league is less than three weeks away but there are huge question marks over whether it would go ahead because of the outbreak.

On Wednesday, the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The chief of WHO also expressed his “deep concern” over the “alarming levels of inaction” in combating the virus spread. Later, the government of India cancelled all visas, except for a few official categories, till April 15 as the coronavirus outbreak has already seen over 60 positive cases in the country.

And the latest turn of events is set to affect the IPL. According to reports, no foreign player will be available for this year’s IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by the government.

“The foreign players who play in the IPL come under the Business Visa category. As per the government’s directive, they can’t come till April 15,” a BCCI source told PTI.

The fate of the IPL 2020 itself will be decided on March 14 at the event’s Governing Council meeting in Mumbai.

“All decisions will be taken by the GC in Mumbai,” the source said.

The IPL gets underway on March 29 with defending champions Mumbai Indians scheduled to take on Chennai Super Kings in the tournament-opener. Several reports suggest that conducting the tournament behind closed doors is also an option.

The Maharashtra government has already stopped selling tickets for the IPL and the other states are also likely to follow suit. The picture will become clearer after the meeting of the IPL governing council later this week.

Also Read: England And Wales Cricket Board Softens Stand On Recreational Drugs

Also Read: India vs South Africa 2020: Hardik Pandya Needs 43 Runs To Join Elite List In ODI Cricket