The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 has been suspended indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Thursday. This comes on the heels of extension of lockdown in the country.

The IPL 2020, which was scheduled to get underway on March 29, was initially suspended until April 15 after the country went on a 21-day lockdown in a bid to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

However, with the Covid-19 crisis intensifying across the globe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the lockdown will be extended till May 3.

“Due to the evolving global health concerns regarding Covid-19 and lockdown measures implemented by the Government of India to contain the spread of the pandemic, the IPL Governing Council of the BCCI has decided that the IPL 2020 Season will be suspended until further notice,” the BCCI said in a release.

“The health and safety of the nation and everyone involved in our great sport remains our top priority and a scuh, the BCCI along with the Franchise Owners, Broadcasters and Sponsors and all the Stakeholders acknowledge the IPL 2020 season will only commence when it is safe and appropriate to do so.”

About conducting 13th edition of the league later in the year, the board said, "BCCI will continue to monitor and review the situation regarding a potential start date in close partnership with all of its stakeholders and will continue to take guidance from the Government of India, State Governments and other State Regulatory bodies.”

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on IPL 2020

Earlier, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said that no decision had been made on the fate of the IPL 2020 as the board was at the same place where it was when they announced the suspension of the tournament. At the time of suspension of the cash-rich league, Ganguly had said the BCCI would be assessing the situation every week and would take a call depending on it.

However, when the lockdown in the country was expected to be extended further, Ganguly had hinted at the suspension of the cash-rich league.

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

“We keep monitoring developments. At the present moment, we can’t say anything. And what is there to say anyway? Airports are shut, people are stuck at home, offices are locked down, nobody can go anywhere. And it seems this is how it’s going to be till the middle of May.”

“Where will you get players from, where do players travel. It’s just simple common sense that at the moment, nothing is in favour of any kind of sport anywhere in the world, forget IPL,” he said.

Covid-19 has brought sporting world to a standstill

The coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a standstill as more than 20 lakh people have been infected by the virus while over 1 lakh people have succumbed globally. USA, Italy, and Spain are among the worst-hit countries by the pandemic.

As of Thursday afternoon (4 pm), India has reported over 12,380 confirmed Covid-19 cases and more than 400 deaths.

The Covid-19 outbreak has also brought the sporting world to a halt and has not even spared the Olympic Games that were scheduled to begin from July 24 but now have been postponed to 2021.

The Euro 2020 has also been postponed until 2021 while the Champions League and Europa League finals have also been suspended. Formula One, NBA season, French Open 2020, Premier League are among major sporting events that have also been impacted due to the pandemic