The Indian cricket board (BCCI) on Monday decided to postpone the knockout matches of the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy due to an alarming number of COVID-19 cases among the participating teams.
Around 50 positive cases across eight teams were detected ahead of the knockout stage beginning in Pune on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced the postponement of the knockout stage matches of the Cooch Behar Trophy following some positive COVID-19 cases within the team environment,"said BCCI in a statement.
"Keeping everyone's health and safety in mind, the knockout matches to be held in Pune have been put on hold until further notice. The BCCI had conducted 93 matches across 20 venues in the league stage. The Board will continue to monitor the situation and identify a new window once the situation improves."
Last week, the BCCI was forced to postpone all domestic events including the premier Ranji Trophy due to a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country.
"The decision was taken after around 50 positive cases were found, the report came last night and a decision to postpone the tournament was taken this morning," said a BCCI source.
The tournament was to be played across four venues in Pune. As many as 1,79,723 new cases were reported in India on Monday.
(Edited by India TV Sports Desk)
