Coronavirus effects cricket: IPL 2020 franchises up for quarantining foreign players if needed

There has been a lot of talks surrounding the future of Indian Premier League (IPL) which was earlier scheduled to start from March 29 but got suspended until April 15 amid the coronavirus pandemic that has wrecked havoc not only in India but the entire world. The sporting calendar has already been destroyed with many major events and tournaments getting either postponed or completely cancelled. 

With the novel coronavirus spreading like a wildfire and at least 137 positive cases being reported in India, including foreign nationals, the sporting calendar including the IPL 2020 has been shredded into pieces. While the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) being optimistic of conducting the cash-rich tournament after April 15, IPL franchises are ready for a scenario wherein foreign players will need to be quarantined for at least 14 days once they fly to India.

"Yes, the fresh advisory calls for 14-day quarantine for travel from some countries and if the stance remains the same post March 31, that shouldn't be an issue. If we get a clearance from the government and visas are issued, then quarantining the players shouldn't be a big deal. In such a scenario, we can fly them into the country in the first week of April and follow the process of 14-day quarantine,” an official of one of the franchises was quoted as saying by an agency.

"But first, the foreign players need to be given the visa and that is why we need to wait till March 31 to see what the government decides going forward," the official added. 

Meanwhile, the franchise owners are in constant communication and even held a conference call on Monday where they evaluated the entire situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. However, there was no update provided as the situation has not improved with reported cases increasing with each passing day.