Cricket News Today: Hardik Pandya talks about mental challenges he endured, availability of foreign players in IPL and more - 12th March 2020
Hello and welcome to the daily round-up of the most important cricketing news for the day.
To start with we have Hardik Pandya talking about the challenges that he faced during his rehabilitation and also the unique record that lies ahead of him upon his return to the Indian National Team.
There was also news regarding the possibility of foreign players perhaps missing out on the Indian Premier League due to the visa concerns amid the coronavirus epidemic.
The remaining matches of the Road Safety World Series which commenced on March 7th is set to take place behind closed doors. There is also the possibility of the IPL following this course of action and staying away from the public.
#1 Government says to hold any sporting event behind closed doors as speculation over IPL 2020 continues
The Indian government has issued a statement saying that any sporting event happening in the country must be held behind closed doors. The Union Sports Secretary of India, Radhey Shyam Julaniya, has specified to all national federations including the BCCI to avoid public gatherings.
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As reported by IANS, Julaniya commented, "All national federations, including the BCCI, have been told to adhere to the guidelines and advisory issued by the ministry of health and public welfare. We have also told them to avoid any public gathering and if a sporting event has to be organized it should be done without gathering of people."
Amid the spread of coronavirus, the statement comes at a time when all the teams participating in the IPL look to begin preparations. With the IPL governing body set to hold a meeting on Saturday, there doesn't seem to be much discussion in the matter.
The health and welfare of the public will always be the priority and Julaniya further went on to say that the Epidemic Act of 1987 empowers the state governments to hold such events and if it unavoidable then it should be conducted behind closed doors and away from the public.