The 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) was initially scheduled to start on March 29, 2020. However, following the coronavirus (COVID-19) scare, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to postpone IPL 2020 till April 15, 2020. Earlier, it appeared that this year's edition would be played behind the closed doors, to begin with. However, later it was decided to defer the start of IPL 2020. BCCI will now have to rework on the new IPL 2020 schedule, if it takes place. MS Dhoni Bids a Temporary Adieu to Chepauk Stadium After CSK Suspends Practice For IPL 2020 Due to Coronavirus (Watch Video).

Having already lost considerable time, BCCI will have a shorter window to conduct IPL 2020. The board will also have its eye on the availability of overseas players. Meanwhile, BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly has hinted at the possible truncated IPL 2020.

Possible New IPL 2020 Format

If IPL 2020 gets a green signal from April 15 onwards, there is a strong possibility of it being toned-down. Instead of double round-robin format, we could witness a single variation of it. So, instead of 14 matches, teams could play only seven games and face other sides just once. IPL Governing Council Meets Team Owners, Reportedly Explores Six-Seven Options for Conducting Indian Premier League 2020.

Also, BCCI can think about going for traditional semi-finals format rather than the playoffs. The IPL playoffs usually consist of three matches- Qualifier 1, Eliminator and Qualifier 2. If playoffs format is given away with, we will have just two semi-finals, thereby cutting down the match days from three to two. Top four teams finishing on the points table will advance to semis in this scenario. IPL isn't the only sporting league affected by the Covid-19 threat. Top leagues like the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and the NBA have postponed their ongoing seasons as well. India's home ODI series against South Africa was also cancelled following the coronavirus threat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 15, 2020 01:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).