The government has to take a call on IPL 2020: Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, nations remain locked, and the future of both sporting events and all public gathering remain uncertain. The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was originally scheduled to kick-start on March 29 but was suspended indefinitely due to the growing concern about the virus.

Currently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking at September-November window to host the cash-rich tournament.

Speaking to IANS, a BCCI official said that it was obvious that The safety of fans will be a priority once live sporting action returns to the country. The official said that BCCI, along with the Government, is completely committed to that cause.

"In these extraordinary times, gate money is the least of anyone's concerns. Fan safety obviously takes priority. When cricket happens, the broadcast revenue is the first chunk of revenue necessary for the BCCI and the state associations' subsistence. Same is the case for the IPL,” the BCCI official said.

"Nobody is going to say no to gate revenue, but no one in their right minds is going to give gate money preference over fan safety. Those who have organised matches understand this basic tenet. Moreover, the Sports Minister has given a statement and he represents the government with regard to the sporting ecosystem in the country and one must take note of the same and understand the gravity of the situation," the official added.

The Union Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju made it clear that the Government will take a call on IPL 2020 and the health and safety of people is their number one priority. The Minister also said that the tournament cannot be restarted immediately, because the main focus is on fighting the virus and creating a mechanism to restore normalcy.

"In India, the government has to take a call and it will take a call depending on the situation. We cannot put health at risk just because we want to have a sporting event. Our focus is fighting COVID-19 and at the same time, we will have to work a mechanism to get back to normalcy. It is difficult to confirm dates but I am sure we will have some kind of sporting events this year," Kiren Rijiju told India Today.

"We have been advising that health and safety are top priorities and besides that, we have to keep in mind guidelines issued by the home ministry and the guidelines issued by the local authorities. We have been planning to resume the events but before that, we need to resume the practice and training. We cannot resume tournaments immediately," he added.

[With IANS & India Today inputs]