The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been mired in complications with the recent Covid-19 scare.
The latest victims of the pandemic have been Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha, Delhi Capitals’ (DC) leg spinner Amit Mishra and Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) bowling coach L Balaji.
While CSK were set to clash with Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, SRH had to contest Mumbai Indians (MI) at the same venue.
Following the havoc, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) met IPL Governing Council (IPL GC) on Tuesday in an emergency meeting to decide on the future of IPL 2021.
In an official statement on the IPL site, the BCCI announced the suspension of the tournament for indefinite period keeping the safety, health, and well-being of the stakeholders in mind.
“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,” the BCCI said in a press-release.
The statement further added that BCCI would arrange for the safe and secure passage of all the participants and thanked people associated with the T20 extravaganza.
“The BCCI will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021. The BCCI would like to thank all the healthcare workers, state associations, players, support staff, franchises, sponsors, partners and all the service providers who have tried their best to organise IPL 2021 even in these extremely difficult times,” added the Indian cricket board.
Earlier, the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was also rescheduled after two of KKR players – Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier – had tested positive for the novel strain.
