Amidst the rising COVID-19 cases in the state, Maharashtra government has said that a night curfew would be imposed across the state starting from March 28 (Sunday). This decision was taken after the state recorded 35,952 coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic began. The state added over one lakh cases in four days. Now the latest development, of night curfew might add to the woes of the IPL teams. As per the Maharashtra government's order, there's no end date to the curfew. The decision prohibits the gathering of people in public places from 8 PM to 7 AM while places like malls would remain closed. Public movement in the timeline, however, has not been restricted, though the gathering of 5 or more people is disallowed.
Reflecting on the development, a BCCI official was quoted as saying by InsideSport: “Yes we are hearing about the night curfew in Maharashtra, but we are yet to see the full order by the Maharashtra Government. At this stage, we are not aware about the entire restrictions imposed. Also, we don’t know for how long the night curfew has been imposed”. As the logistics go in the IPL, the matches start at 7:30 PM while the teams leave the stadium at 12:30 AM. The said situation, hence, could affect the IPL staff, broadcast crews and ground staff's logistics unless the government exempts them from the restrictions. The curbs are also expected to become even stricter if the Covid-19 situation in Mumbai and Maharashtra doesn't improve in the coming days. On Friday, the state reported its highest single-day rise ever of 36,902 COVID-19 cases while Mumbai also witnessed its highest, 5,513 cases. Mumbai will host its first match of the 14th edition of the league between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals on April 10.
