The remaining matches of the Road Safety World Series, featuring cricket veterans such as Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, will now be held behind closed doors in view of the coronavirus threat in Maharashtra.
The organizers have also cancelled the matches which were scheduled to be played at the MCA Stadium in Pune and relocated them to Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.
“As a consequence of the ongoing health emergency in the country, all stakeholders of the Road Safety World Series have decided that all remaining matches of the Road Safety World Series will be played behind closed doors at the DY Patil Stadium starting 13 March when South Africa Legends take on Sri Lanka Legends in a revised schedule,” a media statement issued in the midnight stated.
There are currently 7 matches left in the tournament, with the final set to take place on March 22.
“Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the escalating number of cases in Maharashtra, the organizing committee unanimously agreed that the third leg of the Series, which was scheduled to be held in Pune from 14 to 20 March 2020, be relocated to DY Patil Stadium and played behind closed doors along with the remaining games at the same venue and the final,” the statement added.
Sporting events around the world have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. There remain question marks over whether the 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will take place despite BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s public assurances that the tournament is on.
Meanwhile, the central government has suspended all visas to India till April 15 as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
