On Thursday, Sports Secretary Radhey Shyam Julaniya said that all national sports federations, including the BCCI, have been asked to adhere to the Union Health Ministry's advisory in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak. The advisory says that large gatherings should be avoided.

Does this mean that IPL matches will have to be called off by BCCI to avoid any calamity? The prevailing dominant opinion among sections of opinion-makers seems to be that IPL matches can be held without crowds in the stadium. IPL ticket sales have been banned for Mumbai matches by the Maharashtra government.

Meanwhile, a BCCI source has been quoted as saying by PTI that "no foreign player would be available for IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by the government" to fight the spread of COVID-19.

In related news, the Supreme Court today refused to accord urgent hearing on a plea seeking postponement of IPL.