If things had gone according to plan, star Australian cricketers Steve Smith, David Warner would have been busy leading their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad. In fact, the two teams would have up against each other on Sunday but due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament has not even started yet with several reports claiming that the cash-rich league would be postponed indefinitely.
On Saturday, BCCI boss Sourav Ganguly admitted that the chances of IPL commencing anytime soon seem very bleak given that the condition in India with regards to COVID-19 continues to worsen with the passage of time and the country is in the middle of a nationwide lockdown.
However, to keep the spirits alive, both IPL franchises are engaging in an online battle of Battleship which started at exactly 4 pm, since that was when the match was scheduled to start.
“MATCHDAY! We take on @SunRisers today in a game of Battleship! Ship Crossed swords. Everyone will have the best seat in the house for this one,” Royals said in a tweet.
MATCHDAY! We take on @SunRisers today in a game of Battleship! 🚢 ⚔️
Everyone will have the best seat in the house for this one. 😉#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #SRHvRR pic.twitter.com/9imGLiZmIl
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 12, 2020
“Today would’ve been #SRHvRR under normal circumstances! Instead of cricket, we’re bringing a game of #Battleship on Twitter to keep you all entertained today!” Sunrisers said in their tweet.
Today would’ve been #SRHvRR under normal circumstances!
Instead of cricket, we’re bringing a game of #Battleship on Twitter to keep you all entertained today! 😉#OrangeArmy pic.twitter.com/xlfB4EHRX6
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 12, 2020
Meanwhile, the entire world has come to a standstill amid the COVID-19 crisis. Latest records state that the virus has infected more than 16,00,000 people globally while it has also claimed over 1,00, 000 lives worldwide. In India, there are more than 8,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 while over 250 have lost their lives.