Having hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, the IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday (4)[/caption]
A day after the India Premier League (IPL) 2021 season was postponed indefinitely, some players began to reach home, even as some overseas players continued to stay in the country, explained The Indian Express yesterday (5).
Having hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, the IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday (4). The decision ends a month-long relatively smooth run for cricket’s most glamorous event.
After Wednesday’s postponement
On Wednesday, some players began to reach home even as some overseas players continued to stay in the country. CSK batting coach Mike Hussey, who was one of the personnel to test positive inside the IPL bubble, will also stay out a minimum 10-day stay in India.
The announcement came after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha tested positive for Covid-19 along with Delhi Capitals’ veteran spinner Amit Mishra.
Earlier on Monday, Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Laxmipati Balaji along with Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy had also returned positive results. The tournament began on 9 April and ran smoothly for 29 matches. The final was planned for 30 May.
BCCI mulls September window
Meanwhile, Cricbuzz said that as the first step of cancellation has been taken, the IPL and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) authorities are racking their brains over what next as well as what if.
There is no immediate information if an inquest into the doomed season will take place but efforts are being made to ascertain the causes, it added.
The causes, of course, will be for a later date but there seems to be some thinking on when and where to host the remainder of the league. So far 29 of the 60 games have been played and the BCCI is exploring the option of holding the remaining 31 games in September.
“A September window is being considered. By then the England-India series would be over and the foreign players would be ready for the T20 World Cup. That small window is being explored,” a franchise official, who is in know, has said.
Still more time to go
When contacted, Brijesh Patel, the Chairman of the IPL, did not rule that out. When specifically asked what next, he said, “Now we have to look for a window. If we get one, we will explore holding it. We’ll have to see if it is possible in September. We need to examine the plans of the ICC and other boards.”
The T20 World Cup is scheduled from 18 October to 15 November with uncertainty on the venue. India are the designated hosts but UAE has been kept as a stand-bye.
Reacting to IPL chairman’s comments, another franchise official said September was a long way off and one had to see how the Coronavirus situation develops.
Ness Wadia views
One of the owners, Ness Wadia, of Punjab Kings called it the “right decision at the right time.”
“It is very unfortunate but it is a decision that is correct under the current circumstances. I would say given the drastic increase in cases in the last two-three weeks, it has brought in a new dimension to the planning that was done at the beginning,” said Wadia who also confessed to not being concerned about the monetary loss.
IPL GC examines bubble breaches
IPL’s Governing Council members, largely consisting of the office-bearers, came down heavily on the medical team of the BCCI. Questions were raised about the measures taken and how they did not materialise.
The medical team engaged Supratech company for managing the bio-secure bubble in Ahmedabad while in Chennai and Mumbai, Newberg was responsible.
The name of the company for the Delhi bubble was not immediately known but at it is leant that the BCCI going to probe the lapses. The point of note was that the sanctity of the bubbles was compromised not just in Delhi. Even in Ahmedabad it was found to be inadequate.