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THE 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament has been postponed because of the covid19 pandemic. The tournament bowled off on April 9 and was scheduled to end on May 30. India has seen a surge in cases with over 300,000 cases per day since April 21. The IPL’s Governing Council and The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the decision to postpone the IPL.
The pandemic has also affected teams in the IPL as Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad have all had players or staff members test positive in recent days.
Wriddhiman Saha of Sunrisers tested positive along with the Knight Riders pair of Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy.
Chakravarthy, according to espncricinfo, left the IPL bubble to do a scan on an injury and he may have contracted the virus then.
A Super Kings bowling coach, bus cleaner and the chief executive all returned positive tests. Four TT players are in the IPL including West Indies T20 and 50-Over captain Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine.
A total of nine West Indies players were playing in this year’s IPL including Chris Gayle, Pooran, Fabian Allen (Punjab Kings), Narine, Andre Russell (Knight Riders), Bravo (Super Kings), Shimron Hetmyer (Delhi Capitals), Jason Holder (Sunrisers) and Pollard (Mumbai Indians). It is uncertain when the West Indies players will return to the Caribbean due to travel restrictions around the world.
A statement from the IPL said it “will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021.”
President of the TT Cricket Board Azim Bassarath is optimistic the IPL franchises will ensure that the TT players arrive home safely.
He told Newsday, “The relationship that the players have with the franchises and what transpired before with Pollard having been afforded the opportunity of a (private) jet to travel I think they will be afforded that opportunity again and knowing the person Pollard is...he will put things in place if he is afforded that opportunity, so they will come home with him on the jet.”
Newsday tried to contact Ministry of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds to ask whether the TT cricketers will be granted exemptions to return home but was unsuccessful.
Many of the West Indies players in the IPL chose not to tour Bangladesh in January and February due to covid19, personal fears or personal reasons.
Pooran, Hetmyer, Holder and Pollard opted not to tour because of either covid19 or personal fears according to Cricket West Indies. Allen did not tour because of personal reasons.
The IPL statement said, “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.
“These are difficult times, especially in India, and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times.”
[caption id="attachment_887911" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mumbai Indians cricketer Kieron Pollard. (AFP PHOTO) -[/caption]
BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said the tournament would eventually be completed.
Pooran is one player who has chosen to help India during the pandemic. In a video posted on social media on April 29, Pooran said, “The healthcare system is overwhelmed right now. People can’t get the medical attention they need because of the lack of oxygen, resources and supplies. I can’t comprehend the stats…I will also do my part which is continue to pray for India, but not only that I will also like to donate a portion of my IPL salary towards this crisis in India.”
Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle, who was been commentating during the 2021 IPL, understood the postponement. He tweeted, “I guess it became inevitable in the last couple of days.....look forward to calling the action in happier times. The #IPL is a great event and I hope it returns stronger when the world is what we knew it to be.”
 
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