IPL remains in limbo as shutdown continues

The Indian Premier League will soon provide an update regarding its 2020 season, which could be postponed indefinitely.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has admitted that "nothing is in favour of any kind of sport anywhere in the world" amid the coronavirus crisis.

Last week, Australia's Test tour of Bangladesh became the latest in a string of cricket series to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BCCI, having signed a five-year IPL broadcast deal worth a staggering $3.2 billion, is desperate for the Twenty20 bonanza to be staged this year.

The start of the IPL has already been pushed back to April 15 and further delays appear inevitable as states around India extend lockdowns until April 30.

There had been hope among some franchises that an abridged season could start in May but that now appears unlikely for several reasons.

"We keep monitoring developments," BCCI president and former India captain Ganguly told The New Indian Express.

"I will be able to give an update on that on Monday after speaking to the other (BCCI) office-bearers.

"What is there to say anyway? Airports are shut, people are stuck at home, offices are locked down, nobody can go anywhere.

"It seems this is how it's going to be till the middle of May.

"Where will you get players from? Where do players travel?

"It's just simple common sense that at the moment, nothing is in favour of any kind of sport anywhere in the world, forget IPL."

Ganguly urged Indians to be patient, adding "it's terrible ... the entire world is thinking how many people may die in the next two weeks".

The IPL, which was set to finish on May 24, is cricket's only domestic competition given its own window in the international schedule.

Barring the postponement or cancellation of the T20 World Cup, slated to run from October to November in Australia, there won't be another window this year when the world's best cricketers will be free of national-team commitments.

Pat Cummins, who will miss out on 155 million Indian rupees ($3.2 million) if this year's IPL is cancelled, has suggested the T20 World Cup should take precedence over the IPL whenever cricket resumes.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) already faces a tricky task attempting to squeeze the various scrapped series into a congested international calendar, which will only get harder as more tours continued to be postponed because of the coronavirus.

Australia's next commitment is a limited-overs tour of England in July, which remains in extreme doubt.