The Indian Premier League has been suspended until April 15 as a precautionary measure, due to the continued spread of coronavirus.

A host of leagues and competitions, across multiple sports and continents, have been cancelled or postponed this week in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IPL was due to begin on March 29, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now pushed that start date back by two and a half weeks.

A statement from Indian cricket's governing body read: "The BCCI has decided to suspend IPL 2020 until 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.

"The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders, and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience.

"The BCCI will work closely with the government of India along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other relevant central and state government departments in this regard."

While the IPL will be delayed, the Pakistan Super League is set to continue as scheduled, for the time being at least. However, a host of players - predominantly from England - have confirmed they will take no further part in the competition.

Following a conference call with team owners, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement on Friday, which read: "The HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 will proceed as planned, including tonight’s Multan Sultans versus Peshawar Zalmi match, which will commence at the National Stadium at 8pm.

"The match will be played behind closed doors and only event accredited personnel will be allowed to enter the venue. All players and players support personnel have been given the option to withdraw from the HBL PSL 2020 should they wish to do so."

Alex Hales, Rilee Rossouw, James Vince, Tom Banton, Carlos Brathwaite, Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone, Jason Roy and Tymal Mills were confirmed as the players to have already pulled out, along with Peshawar coach James Foster.

The PCB's statement added: "No player has to date tested positive for coronavirus. The PCB will continue to assess and monitor the situation and make decisions as appropriate in consultation with the team owners.

"No discussion has taken place as yet with regards to the upcoming Pakistan Cup one-day tournament and home international matches against Bangladesh."

PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said: "As stated previously, we will continue to assess and review the situation and will not hesitate to make what we believe are the right decisions for everyone involved.

"Ensuring that the players feel comfortable remains paramount to the PCB. As of now, it is important to emphasise and clarify that the main concern of many of the 10 players and a coach, who have chosen to return home, revolves around avoiding a potential situation where they might become stranded either due to flight cancellations or border closures in their own countries."