BCCI awaits government's decision before taking a call on IPL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will wait for the government's decision regarding the ongoing coronavirus crisis before taking a call on the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"As of now IPL is postponed till April 15, we will wait for government decision and take a call accordingly," a BCCI source said. IPL was scheduled to commence on March 29, however, the threat of coronavirus forced the postponement of the league until April 15.

On Thursday, Odisha became the first state to extend the lockdown till April 30. After that, several states such as Punjab, Telangana and Maharashtra extended the lockdown to combat COVID-19.

When asked about the chances of the IPL amid several states extending its lockdown, the source said: "As of now, I cannot comment on it. In the coming few days, we might talk to franchises again but as of now, no decision has been made. We are closely monitoring the situation."

With 34 deaths and 909 new positive COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the total number of coronavirus cases in India on Sunday climbed to 8356, including 716 cured and discharged and 273 deaths, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

At present, there are 7367 active COVID-19 cases in the country.