Better off organizing IPL at later date, believes Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope
Amidst the rapid spread of Coronavirus around the world, Rajesh Tope, the Health Minister of Maharashtra, believes that the organizers would be better off postponing the imminent commencement of the IPL. The BCCI had earlier promised that the IPL will take necessary precautions to fight the virus.
Whilst Cricket, unlike several other sports, has not really been struck by the pandemic that is the coronavirus, several experts fear that the worst could be in the offing, owing to thousands of people turning up to stadiums everyday unprotected.
England ditching handshakes in favour of fist-bumps aside, the cricketing authorities have not taken major steps to fight the virus nor have they educated the fans or the players about the same. And, as a result, people continue to flood stadiums, with jam-packed crowds at the Wankhede and Senwes Park on Saturday serving as a testament to the same.
In this time of turmoil, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope believes that it would be a wise move to postpone the commencement of the IPL, as it opens the door for several people to gather at the same place, meaning it also paves way for contagious diseases, such as coronavirus, to spread easily.
“There is always a possible danger of spread (of contagious diseases) when large numbers of people gather in one place... Such (IPL) events can always be organised later,” Tope told the media on Saturday, reported Hindustan Times.
The BCCI had, however, promised earlier that the tournament would go on without any roadblocks. President Sourav Ganguly assured that the board would take ‘all protection against the coronavirus’ heading into the tournament and stated that the T20 festival will go ahead as planned.
The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is set to play host for the first game of IPL 2020 on March 29, where defending champions will take on Chennai Super Kings in what will be rematch of the IPL 2019 Final.
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