IPL franchises suspend training camps till further notice, players head back home

With the novel coronavirus continuing to wreak havoc, all eight franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have decided to call off their respective pre-IPL training camps till further notice. The move comes three days after the coronavirus pandemic forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to suspend IPL 2020 until April 15.

While Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made it official, on Monday, that they have deferred the training camp until further notice, the likes of Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders Have joined the bandwagon by calling off their respective training camps as the situation continues to deteriorate.

"Keeping in mind the health and safety of everyone involved, the RCB Training Camp scheduled to start on the 21st of March has been deferred until further notice. We request everyone to follow the guidelines provided by the Health Ministry and stay safe," RCB tweeted.

Earlier, the BCCI had suspended the cash-rich tournament after the government imposed travel restrictions. Even three states had refused to host any IPL 2020 matches due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The pandemic has claimed more than 6,000 lives globally with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring Europe as the 'epicenter' of the novel COVID-19.

In India, there have been at least 114 positive cases with two deaths and hence the authorities have been kept at their toes due to the rising concers relating to coronavirus.CSK hadsuspended their camp on Saturday (Match 14) after which their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni left Chennai.

The franchise owners and BCCI are optimistic about a start post-April 15 and should the situation improve in the coming weeks, the state governments, which had earlier denied permission for matches, will be ready to give IPL 2020 the green signal.