New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly opened up on the suspension of Indian Premier League and insists that hosting the IPL in India was not a mistake despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The IPL was postponed on Tuesday after a second round of positive COVID-19 tests hit the bio-secure bubble in New Delhi, after Ahmedabad on Monday. IPL 2021 saw it getting suspended due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in India and even among players. The cash-rich League tournament saw players and staff members were seen infected with the coronavirus. Over the course of the last two days, players like Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi Capitals’ Amit Mishra also tested positive for coronavirus. More than 10 players and back-up staff have tested positive.
“I really don’t know what led to this situation inside the bio-security bubble. We will have to do a post-mortem and look into the reasons behind this. But travelling could have been an issue,” Sourav was quoted as saying to Telegraph India.
Ganguly reckoned that hosting the IPL in India was not a mistake despite the second wave of the deadly coronavirus, “No (it was not a mistake to hold IPL), when we decided the number (COVID-19 cases) was not even close to this. We did the England tour successfully,” Ganguly added.
When asked about the bio-bubble breach, Ganguly said the report received by the BCCI suggested there had been no breach. “I don’t think so. The report we got is that there’s no breach of the bubble. How it happened is very difficult to say. How so many people are getting infected in the country is also very difficult to say.”
When asked about whether the IPL should have been held in the UAE as it was done last year. “It (holding IPL in UAE) was discussed, but the COVID-19 cases in India in February was nothing. It has just gone through the roof in the last three weeks. Before that, it was nothing.”
“Last year in the UAE, everything was restricted to three venues and within a limited area. There was no air travel involved. Here we had six different venues. You also have to look at the situation around the country. The way the number of people are getting affected on a daily basis is total madness. No one knows what is going to happen tomorrow. Things have gone out of control for everyone.” the BCCI president remarked.
He also spoke on the financial implications of the suspension, “If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to Rs. 2,500 crore. That is going by early estimates.” He further asked about when the IPL will resume again and which country would host the remainder of the season, “It’s too early to say.” he stated.
