Cloud Over IPL As Bio-Bubble Is Burst
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
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By Slogger
First publised on 2021-05-04 06:39:03
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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
As reports come in of CEOs, ground staff and players testing positive for Covid, doubts are being expressed over the so-called water-tight bio-bubble of the ongoing IPL. It has been reported that CSK CEO Kashi Vishwanathan, bowling coach L Balaji and a bus cleaner, five ground staff at Firoz Shah Kotla and two players of KKR, Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier have tested positive. This has put the future of the tournament in jeopardy with the match between KKR and RCB, scheduled for May 3 at Ahmedabad being rescheduled.
It has been reported that all players, Indians and foreign, are unwilling to travel to Kolkata and Bengaluru, two cities where the second wave is laying havoc. Most foreign players wish to return home as they are not comfortable in the face of rising Covid cases in India. Some commentators have already left. While the BCCI has, as of now, denied reports that the remainder of tournament will be cancelled, rescheduled or shifted elsewhere, its options are getting reduced as fear sets in.
The best option for the IPL to continue would be to hold it in one city and rule out travel. That would make the bio-bubble stronger and assure the players that there would be little chance of their getting infected. The best city as of now would be Chennai. For, if foreign players leave en masse, the tournament will lose a lot of its shine. It would be better if the BCCI takes decisions fast, both to ensure the safety of all those involved in the running of the tournament as well as to save the IPL itself from being abandoned.
Once it is decided that the rest of the tournament will be played in one city, the BCCI must ensure that all players and staff are tested on daily basis and enough test kits are available for that purpose. It has been reported that the 4 medical officers attached to each teams have been ineffective in the face of shortage of kits. This must not happen. The safety of all those involved in the running of the IPL is of utmost importance and the BCCI must ensure that.
