Surinder Khanna hails decision to postpone IPL, says safety of the people is important

Former Indian cricketer Surinder Khanna hailed BCCI's decision to postpone the start of the Indian Premier League and said that it was the right decision as the safety of the people is more important. The BCCI announced, on Friday, that the IPL will remain suspended till April 15 as a precaution against the novel coronavirus. Various sporting events around the world have been cancelled or rescheduled. Surinder Khanna backed the call of the BCCI and IPL chairman and said that he was happy that they 'responsibly' took the call keeping the safety of the people in the mind. 

READ | 'Follow The Instructions, Stay Safe': KL Rahul Urges Fans To Be Strong Amid COVID-19 Fears

IPL postponed

A statement was released on Friday afternoon which quoted BCCI Secretary Jay Shah and stated, "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing novel Coronavirus situation." The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders, and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience. The cricket body will work closely with the Government of India along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other relevant Central and State Government departments in this regard.

READ | 'In The Interest Of The Nation': Kiren Rijiju Welcome Postponement Of IPL

Coronavirus Outbreak

As of today, the total number of positive cases in India has risen up to 82 - Haryana-15, Telangana-1, Rajasthan-3, Andhra Pradesh - 1, Karnataka-5, Jammu-1, Ladakh-3, Maharashtra- 16, Tamil Nadu-1, Uttar Pradesh-10, Delhi-6, Punjab-1, Kerala-19 (out of which 3 recovered). Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively.  First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel coronavirus has affected nearly 118 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 1,24,518 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of 4,607 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its spread. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

READ | 'Dada On Fire': Netizens React As 'God Of Commentary' Sanjay Manjrekar Gets Axed

READ | Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Postpones All Domestic Games Amid COVID-19 Fear