IPL Suspended Indefinitely as virus breaches bubble

The 2021 season of the Indian Premier League has been suspended indefinitely after multiple cases of Covid-19 have emerged across teams over the past few days. In light of the various breaches in the bio-bubble, the IPL governing council decided on Tuesday afternoon after an emergency meeting to postpone the tournament to ensure the safety of all stakeholders.

The IPL has released a statement which says “The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind.”

“These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times.”

“The BCCI will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021.”

The first positive case to emerge was from the KKR camp with two players – Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier – testing positive after Chakravarthy visited a hospital to get a scan for an abdominal issue.

These two cases led to the postponement of the KKR RCB fixture which was scheduled for Monday the 3rd of May as all KKR personnel entered into quarantine. 

The second instance of the bubble breach came from the CSK camp where bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji and another member of the staff returned positive results in the latest round of testing. Balaji was seen in the Chennai dugout during their most recent fixture against the Mumbai Indians on Saturday.

The tipping point for the suspension of the League came on Tuesday after two more positive cases emerged from two separate teams as Hyderabad wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi spinner Amit Mishra have both returned positive results.

In total there were six positive cases from four separate camps with reports suggesting most franchisees were in favour of postponing the IPL leaving the BCCI no other choice than to suspend the tournament for the time being. There is no update or clarity from the organisers on the length of the postponement but reports have emerged that the BCCI is looking into a September window to finish the tournament ahead of the T20 World Cup that is scheduled to start in October in India.

Right now, the main focus for the BCCI is to send the players home in a safe and secure manner. Charter flights are being booked to various cities in India and the BCCI is working with the various foreign boards to send their players home in the midst of travel bans.