MUMBAI: The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League has been postponed further with the central government extending the 21-day nation-wide lockdown amid COVID-19 till 3 May. The cash-rich domestic event was scheduled to happen from 29 March but was suspended till 15 April.

According to a news report of India Today, sources said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will only be able to review the situation post 3 May when the government would be in a position to come out with further guidelines amid COVID-19 crisis. The richest cricket body is yet to come out with an official communique on the further postponement of the tournament.

This is for the first time in the history of IPL that the game has been postponed. As speculated, the other windows that are been most talked about are August or October. However, for that, the whole cricketing calendar of the year has to be rejigged.

Meanwhile, sources speaking to ANI have also pointed out that the IPL is likely to be postponed for an indefinite time period. “Since lockdown has been extended, we have to postpone the IPL for the time being, the decision will be intimated, we will discuss the matter later today,” sources within BCCI told ANI.

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the 21-day lockdown period, which was slated to end on 14 April, for three more weeks approximately till 3 May amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Practically speaking, when life has come to a standstill everywhere in the world, where does sport have a future in this,” BCCI president Saurav Ganguly had told the New Indian Express.

Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales. Global advisory Duff
& Phelps estimates a huge loss of at least $1000 million if IPL gets cancelled due to the pandemic.