The BCCI had no choice but to postpone the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday due to the second wave of COVID-19 sweeping India. However, the board wants to end the league before the T20 World Cup in September. A senior BCCI official familiar with the situation told ANI that if the COVID-19 situation is under control by September, the 14th edition of the tournament can be completed.
“Why not? We could certainly look at the window before the T20 WC if the international players are available and the COVID-19 situation is under control. It can, in reality, serve as a good practice ground for the main event “according to the official
In October and November, the T20 World Cup will be held in India.
When asked about the condition of the return of the league’s international players, the official said: “As previously stated by the BCCI, it will be assured that all players return home safely. The planning is underway, and a good description of their travel paths will be available by tomorrow.”
Earlier in the day, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said that the BCCI and IPL Governing Council agreed to postpone the league due to the present COVID-19 condition.
“The BCCI and the IPL GC have unanimously decided to postpone the 2021 season till further notice. We don’t wish to compromise the safety of the players, the people involved, the employees, the groundsmen, the match officials, every single person involved,” he told ANI.
Following COVID-19 cases in two franchises on Monday, SunRisers Hyderabad wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha tested positive on Tuesday morning. Two members of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) contingent tested positive, while two Kolkata Knight Riders players, Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, tested positive, causing the BCCI to postpone the KKR-RCB match in Ahmedabad.
The game between SRH and the reigning champions Mumbai Indians on Tuesday evening had to be postponed due to Saha’s positive test. The situation was made worse by the fact that the match between RCB and KKR had already been postponed, and the match between CSK and Rajasthan Royals was also scheduled to be postponed due to the Chennai unit’s stringent quarantine.
