HONG KONG - The next two rounds of the Chinese Super League have been postponed until the end of September as the competition continues to be impacted by China's efforts to tackle COVID-19 outbreaks.

Organisers announced nine matches due to be played on Sunday and Monday in the 17th round have been rescheduled for Sept. 24 and 25 while games in the 18th round, which were to be held on Sept. 23 and 24, will now be played on Sept. 29 and 30.

Matches in the 19th and 20th rounds have been postponed until further notice.

The Chinese Super League reverted to a home-and-away format at the start of August. But the government's zero-COVID policy of stamping out every outbreak with frequent lockdowns has thrown the schedule into disarray.

Prior to the latest changes, 15 matches had been postponed and rescheduled since play resumed on Aug. 5.

Wuhan Three Towns currently sit on top of the 18-team Chinese Super League standings with 44 points from 16 games, four more than defending champions Shandong Taishan, who have played one match more than the league leaders.

(Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, Editing by Edwina Gibbs)