Covid-19 outbreak: IPL team owners put ticket sales on hold

MUMBAI: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, which were planning to start ticket sales this week, have put their plans on hold as uncertainty looms over the 13th edition of the tournament amid the Covid-19 outbreak. Executives of four IPL teams confirmed this to ET.

“We were to start ticket sales on Friday, but now everyone is waiting for the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to decide whether IPL will happen as per schedule or not,” one team owner said. “Except for the Mumbai Indians, which cannot sell tickets as per the (Maharashtra) state government directive, rest of the teams have put the sale on hold.”

The IPL governing council will meet on Saturday in Mumbai to take a call on the tournament that’s scheduled to be played between March 29 and May 24. ET had reported that cancellation or deferment of the league was not under discussion and the BCCI was keener on options such as matches without spectators or ties being held in states that would allow matches.

However, on Thursday, the sports ministry sent an advisory to all sports federations, including the BCCI, that any sporting event during the Covid-19 outbreak, if unavoidable, will have to be behind closed doors. “If you look at the government advisory, it’s a good move as they are not saying that matches can’t happen. We are ready to conduct IPL behind closed doors,” said a senior BCCI official.

The external affairs ministry has advised against holding this year’s IPL edition in wake of the coronavirus scare, but left it to the organisers to take a final call on it.

The remaining two one-day matches between India and South Africa will be played in empty stadiums in Lucknow and Kolkata on March 15 and March 18, respectively, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The visa suspension aimed at curbing Covid-19 won’t affect the entry of international players into India as they have business visas. “There might be some issues, but those can be solved and visas can be obtained for the league,” he added.

Sponsors May Fume
The Maharashtra government banned the sale of IPL tickets in the state on Wednesday. It is learned that Reliance Industries-owned Mumbai Indians has agreed to play without spectators if matches are allowed at the Wankhede stadium.

However, some franchises are concerned over sponsors’ reaction in case matches are being played without live audiences. “Sponsors arrange a lot of activities and meet and greets during IPL. If there is no audience, they are not going to be happy about it,” one of the team owners aid.

ET had earlier reported that for the first time in the IPL’s history, the franchises have sold almost all the spots for sponsorships ahead of the start of the tournament and were estimated to collect over Rs 500 crore this season.