The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI),on Tuesday in an emergency meeting with the Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC), decided to suspend the ongoing IPL 2021 due to a surge in the Covid-19 cases across various franchises.
The deadly virus broke into bio-bubbles to affect Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Delhi Capitals (DC) players and staff.
While Lakshmipathy Balaji fell prey to the novel coronavirus, Wriddhiman Saha and Amit Mishra also tested positive in their RT-PCR tests on Tuesday.
Official Announcement!#WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/45mWyu8ySn
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 4, 2021
🚨 OFFICIAL STATEMENT 🚨
Delhi Capitals leg spinner Amit Mishra has tested positive for COVID-19. He has been moved to a designated medical care facility, as per BCCI & IPL guidelines. pic.twitter.com/Dp5eZHuBBZ
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 4, 2021
Earlier, Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier had become victims to the pandemic, and the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was rescheduled.
After suspending the T20 league, BCCI and IPL GC officials are pondering what to do next since the former stands to lose in excess of INR 2000 crores, mainly from the broadcasting revenue.
When asked about the same, chairman of the IPL Brajesh Patel said they are contemplating holding the T20 league in September but will have to also coordinate with ICC and other boards.
“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,” Patel told Cricbuzz.
Meanwhile, the T20 World Cup is also scheduled from October 18 to November 15, with uncertainty on the venue. While India are the designated hosts, UAE has been taken as a stand by to address any pandemic complications.
