BCCI Chief Sourav Ganguly insists IPL 2024 Time Table will not be changed despite Coronavirus Outbreak in India.
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is scheduled to start on March 29, with only 17 days for its kick-off, rumours on IPL being postponed are spreading, but BCCI Chief Sourav Ganguly confirms that the IPL is “very much on schedule” and won’t be delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The BCCI President has made it very clear that the upcoming IPL 2024 is “ON” and the BCCI is making all efforts for the smooth and safe conduct of the tournament, and he asserted all required preventive measures will be in place to tackle the rapidly-spreading coronavirus threat which has disturbed all global sporting calendars.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly’s statement when asked about the spread of coronavirus due to IPL.
“IPL is very much on. Everywhere, the tournaments are going on. England is already in Sri Lanka. South Africa is here. There are no issues,” Sourav Ganguly told PTI, he added, “County teams are travelling all over the world. They are travelling to Abu Dhabi, UAE, to play. So there is no problem,”
When asked about the precautions BCCI will take?
“We will take all precautions. I don’t know what exactly are the extra measures. It’s only the medical team that will tell us about that,” “The medical team is already in touch with the hospitals so that everything is available. We will do what the doctors say. They are the professionals,” said Sourav Ganguly.
Sourav Ganguly assured the board is also likely to advise players not to shake hands with fans or even possibly take pictures with devices that are not their own.
What is Coronavirus disease or COVID-19?
For those who don’t have accurate information about the rapidly-spreading Coronaviruses (CoV), they are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe conditions such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
Coronaviruses are transmitted between animals and people. Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronavirus also termed as COVID-19, where CO stands for Corona, VI for virus and D-19 for December 2019 the time of the outbreak.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath, fever, cough, and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the disease can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
Sources: www.who.int (World Health Organization)
India’s current coronavirus patient count stands at 5o confirmed patients, including 16 Italian tourists. The deadly outbreak has killed more than 4000 people and infected nearly 116,000 in about 87 countries around the world.
What are the concerns for Sports fans?
The coronavirus outbreak has harshly impacted global sporting calendars. Italy one of the disease’s epicentres, banning all fans from venues till April.
Olympic test events have been currently postponed or cancelled until further notice in Japan, another badly-affected country.
Some growing concerns are looming over the possibility of the Tokyo Olympics in July-August despite the International Olympic Committee’s statement that the tournament will go ahead as planned.
When is the IPL 2024 Opening Match?
The tournament opener is scheduled for March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium between last year’s finalists, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and defending champions Mumbai Indians as per the released IPL 2024 time table.