With franchises and cricketers all in the UAE gearing up for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, news of the suspension of the cash-rich event is circulating on social media. So is the 13th edition of the IPL really suspended?
The news of the IPL’s cancellation was posted by a Twitter user, Farzi Cricketer. The cricket parody account tweeted saying, “ONLY IN: BCCI officially suspends IPL 2020 indefinitely in light of the #Coronavirus pandemic.”
So why did this tweet get the attention of many? One reason is that the identifier had Sourav Ganguly’s username and display image when he broke the “false” news.
Cricketer Sheldon Jackson had also retweeted and was heartbroken. However, he soon deleted the tweet.
So is the IPL 2020 suspended?
As far as IPL is concerned, there is no official statement from the tournament governing body or the Cricket Control Board in India (BCCI).
The 13th edition is expected to begin on September 19, however, the BCCI has not yet announced the schedule for the next season.
According to the sources, some of the franchises have “requested” the Indian cricket board to announce the schedule “quickly”.
“God knows, when (BCCI) will share the schedule with us. We have asked the BCCI, both orally and via text message, to do it quickly, as we have to plan accordingly, ”said a team source from the UAE.
The reason behind the delay is said to be the sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in Abu Dhabi, which is one of the main venues for the tournament, in addition to Sharjah and Dubai, the sources said.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the worst hit squads, with 13 members testing positive for coronavirus.
Batter Suresh Raina also withdrew from the tournament for personal reasons. The BCCI issued a statement and confirmed the news about the infected members without sharing their names.
The thirteenth edition of the IPL will see the final on November 10. The league was originally scheduled to take place in India during the March to May window, however it had to be suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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