IPL 2021 has been suspended indefinitely by BCCI: Details here
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season has been suspended indefinitely by the BCCI on Tuesday. The decision comes after two more players tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday. SRH's Wriddhiman Saha and DC's Amit Mishra are the two players, who tested positive on Tuesday. Apart from these two players, members of KKR and CSK contingent had also tested positive yesterday.
IPL suspended for this season: Vice-President BCCI Rajeev Shukla to ANI#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/K6VBK0W0WA
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2021
Since the last couple of months, India has been struggling with the second wave of COVID-19. The pandemic had hit the league even before it commenced on April 10. Several groundsmen and a few players had tested positive. However, the IPL Governing Council decided to proceed with the season. However, after recent cases, the council has finally decided to pull the plug.
It was reported that the BCCI was contemplating on moving the remainder of the IPL 2020 season to Mumbai. The move was set to happen by Friday, May 7. Notably, the upcoming Kolkata and Bengaluru leg of the IPL was set to be canceled entirely. The rescheduling would have led to double headers and a possible delay as well.
Earlier, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa opted to return home from the IPL due to "personal reasons". They joined fellow Australian Andrew Tye and Liam Livingstone of England, who had earlier headed back as the COVID-19 crisis in India surged. Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals off-spinner R Ashwin decided to leave the bio-secure bubble, citing the need to be with his family during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delhi Capitals lead the IPL 2021 standings, having collected 12 points from eight matches. They are followed by Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore (10 points each). Defending champions Mumbai Indians are placed fourth with eight points. Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings have collected six points each to follow suit. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad are placed at the bottom.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases reached 2.02 crore on Tuesday, out of which, 34 lakh cases or 17% are currently active. There are 12 states with over one lakh active cases: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Seven states have active cases between 50,000-1,00,000 and 17 states have under 50,000 active cases.
With India battling a deadly second wave, the move by the BCCI to suspend the IPL 2021 season comes as a blessing. Despite taking all necessary protocols, players have still got affected and there was no point in risking lives. This is a welcome move.
