Kolkata: Even as the franchises and stakeholders of the Indian Premier League on Tuesday hailed the BCCI's decision to suspend the tournament indefinitely, insisting that cricket can wait while the country fights an unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, the BCCI stands to lose over Rs 2000 crore of the broadcast and sponsorship money earmarked for this year's IPL which was indefinitely postponed.
The BCCI was forced to suspend the lucrative T20 tournament indefinitely midway into the season after multiple cases of the dreaded virus were reported inside the bio-bubble.
"We would be losing anything between Rs 2000 to Rs 2500 crore for the midway postponement of this season. I would say something in the range of Rs 2200 crore will be closer to accurate estimation," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"We're all in this together. The safety and security of everyone in VIVO IPL 2021 is of paramount importance and we support the decision of BCCI to postpone the tournament," Royal Challengers Bangalore said in a statement.
"Royal Challengers Bangalore will work in consultation with the BCCI to ensure that everyone has a safe passage back home," it added.
Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin also lauded the BCCI for doing the right thing by postponing the tournament.
Former England batsman-turned-commentator Kevin Pietersen said it was heartbreaking to see India suffering. "India - it's heartbreaking to see a country I love so much suffering. You WILL get through this! You WILL be stronger coming out of this! Your kindness & generosity NEVER goes unnoticed even during this crisis!" he tweeted.
While former Australia cricketer and Kolkata Knight Riders' chief mentor David Hussey took to Twitter to say he was "shattered", South African pace legend Dale Steyn wished a speedy recovery to those infected.
"Covid don't care. It has no favorites. Get well to those sick and hopefully everyone else will get home safe and in good health," Steyn tweeted.
The otherwise smooth conduct of the tournament first hit the roadblock after KKR's match against RCB had to be rescheduled on Monday following two of its players Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier testing positive for the infection.
Later in the day, three non-playing members of the Chennai Super Kings -- bowling coach L Balaji, CEO Kasi Viswanathan and a bus cleaner -- also tested positive as India reported a daily COVID-19 count of 3,57,316.
On Tuesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi Capitals veteran spinner Amit Mishra also tested positive for the dreaded virus as BCCI announced the postponement with immediate effect.
"We take this opportunity to thank all the healthcare workers, state associations, players, support staff and sponsors for all the support. Above all, a big thanks to the #yellowve. We will roar again... Soon!," CSK tweeted on its official twitter handle.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings announced they will work with BCCI to ensure a safe return of all their members.
"With the postponement of VIVO IPL 2021, Mumbai Indians will work with BCCI and the respective authorities to ensure safe and secured travel for each member of the franchise," MI tweeted.
"Punjab Kings will work closely with BCCI and other authorities to ensure all the team members get back home safely," PBKS stated.
Sunrisers also expressed their gratitude to the frontline workers and tweeted: "...together, we will fight the situation and come out, safer and stronger."
Former India cricketer Vinod Kambli urged everyone to take proper precautions.
"Looking forward to better times ahead when we can enjoy the game again. But till then, request everyone to take precautions and get vaccinated as soon as possible. We shall come back stronger," he said.
The 52-day 60-match tournament would have concluded in Ahmedabad on May 30. However, only 24 days of cricket was possible with 29 completed games before the virus halted proceedings.
The biggest loss for BCCI is the money it gets from Star Sports for the broadcast rights of the tournament. Star has a five-year contract worth Rs 16,347 crore which is Rs 3269.4 crore per year. If there are 60 games in a season, the per match valuation comes to approximately Rs 54.5 crore.
Similarly, mobile manufacturers VIVO, as tournament's title sponsors, pay Rs 440 crore per season and BCCI is likely to get less than half of that amount because of the postponement.
Players' payment would be based on duration rather than pro-rata.
