India's death toll surging past 200,000 WON'T stop the IPL, say the country's 'tone-deaf' cricket board, who claim they need to 'absorb fans at home - otherwise many will step out without masks', despite players fleeing and calls for a cancellation

The Indian Premier League season will continue as scheduled, despite the country's coronavirus death toll topping 200,000 in one day and players fleeing.

There have been widespread calls for cricket's richest tournament to be cancelled as the pandemic takes a grip of India, but a senior board official has insisted that it is business as usual for the IPL.

At least 300,000 people have tested positive for the virus every day over the last week, and organisers have been begging the biggest IPL stars not to quit the league as fears continue to rise.