BCCI admits IPL delay beyond early May would make 2020 edition "impossible"

The governing body are ploughing on with plans for the 13th staging of the competition but have set a deadline for when it must begin

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Doubt continues to grow over the staging of the Indian Premier League after the BCCI set a May deadline for the 13th edition of the competition to get underway.

Organisers have already delayed the start of the IPL to at least April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Currently, there are 425 confirmed cases of the disease in India with eight people having died.

On Sunday, the government enforced a 14-hour lockdown in preparation for further measures. School exams and overseas visas have been extended until mid-April to allow for a re-examination of the situation.

The BCCI are reviewing their plans on a week-by-week basis and now accept that the tournament is unlikely to go ahead if it does not begin in the first week of May.

Contingency plans are being drawn up. A change to the format is inevitable, while comparisons have been drawn with the 2009 edition which was moved to South Africa after the Indian government withdrew security support.

“The latest we can wait is till the end of April," a BCCI official told Indo-Asian News Service. "If the first game isn’t played by the first week of May then it will be almost impossible to have the league this year.

"Even if we have to wait until the end of April to follow all the procedures, we can take a cue from the South Africa edition and conduct the league successfully.

“If you remember, that was the shortest IPL with 59 games played over 37 days and we can do the same. But certain measures will have to be taken."

Among the measures could be to host the entire tournament in a single state, such as Maharashtra, to reduce travel between venues.

The western region has four international-standard grounds including the Brabourne Stadium, the Wankhede Stadium, Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium and the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

“You cannot travel around the country in such a scenario," the BCCI added.

"If we get the necessary permissions, we will have to stick to a place like Maharashtra where we have three stadiums in Mumbai and a stadium in Pune. 

"I am sure this will then help us ensure that teams not only get fresh wickets to play but also there is minimal travel involved.

"But before that, the government must deem it fit to organise tournaments. Public and player safety is the priority as the BCCI President has time and again said."