IPL 2020 Set To Be Cancelled, No Mega Auctions Next Year

While the BCCI is yet to give a final update on the fate of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, the thirteenth edition of the league is reportedly set to cancelled this year due to the novel coronavirus. The league was scheduled to start on March 29 before the BCCI decided to suspend it till April 15.

At that time, the BCCI had said that their next decision would depend on the situation. And unfortunately, the situation has only deteriorated since then. As things stand, there are more than 1,000 positive cases across the country while the entire country is under mandatory 21-day lockdown.

According to Indian Express, BCCI will officially address the issue with the IPL franchises after April 15 when the lockdown ends. The report further claimed that if IPL happens next year than there will be no mega auction. Instead, the status quo will be continued and IPL franchises allowed to pick players if they want too.

As per the schedule, the mega auction was supposed to take place in 2021 with franchises allowed to retain a few players while the rest were supposed to go under the hammer.

“IPL will not happen this year. It will now happen next year. We all know how the situation is at the moment in the country and no one will take any risk. One can’t have social distancing in the stadium. It’s better to play IPL next year. Also, no mega auction will take place. We will inform the franchises once we get final confirmation from the Indian government, the same season can continue next season,” a source in the IPL administration told the news outlet.

Earlier this month, the BCCI had also called off the three-match ODI series against South Africa at home. The likes of New Zealand, England, Australia, Pakistan and other nations have also suspended their international and domestic fixtures due to the pandemic.

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