Posterior to an emergency meeting, the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Governing Council of the Indian Premier League have pronounced that they will be postponing the IPL 2021 without further ado.
The BCCI’s concern for the players and team staffs, accompanied by essential participants, led them to reach this decision. With stakeholders’ safety in mind, this announcement was merely waiting to materialize.
With all the recent as well as previous COVID-19 cases coming to light, continuing the tournament was seemingly growing in jeopardy in terms of the health and safety of everyone involved. After CSK’s bowling coach joined the list of patients, there was a petition filed against the IPL in the Delhi High Court. It also evidently involved the BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket in India) and the DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) and urged them to put a halt to the IPL with immediate effect.
The situation for IPL worsened to a prominent degree after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Wriddhiman Saha tested positive along with Amit Mishra from Delhi Capitals. This surmounted up to too much damage to ignore, which eventually led to the suspension taking place.
However, before the final decision was initiated, there was a careful contemplation of a possible modification of the competition by transferring all the teams to Mumbai, where the BCCI headquarters is located, so as to minimize the risk that travel entails. But, considering the adverse circumstances unfolding in Mumbai, it was deemed an infeasible solution.
The BCCI stated that the IPL was also a means of hope and inspiration in this dire situation of the pandemic. However, it had to be suspended amidst the rapidly growing concerns. The board further mentioned their gratitude for the healthcare workers, support staff, players, sponsors, state associations, and the service providers for their contributions in times of difficulty.
