The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), based in Mumbai is facing some serious issues along with the Indian Premier League shareholders as reported on Wednesday.
The conduction of the fourteenth edition of this most popular cricket league is at stake due to the worsening condition of the country due to the uprising Covid-19 cases.
The most glamorous cricket league on earth begins on April 9, Friday. Fifty-two games will be conducted among eight teams across stadiums located in six different cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad.
About The Current Situation
Why is it being said that the dark covid cloud looms over IPL 2021? This is because as the infection rates are reaching up to lakhs in the country, even the cricketers, groundsmen, franchise officials, consultants, and other staff have not been spared by the deadly virus.
While the defending champions Mumbai Indians take on the inaugural game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the question of whether the games will be continued or abandoned still prevails!
In the first wave of the pandemic, more than one lakh and sixty-five thousand people have died from the Covid virus in India. In this current second wave, India has been experiencing daily cases of around ninety thousand.
Due to the reluctance of public safety protocols, most cities including the ones where the games are supposed to be conducted are witnessing a sharp rise in the rate of infections. Some of the players who have tested positive for Covid-19 and are undergoing home quarantine are:
- Devdutt Padikal (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
- Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals)
- Nitish Rana (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Daniel Sams (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Scenario From Last Year
The biggest hype has been about The Times of India publishing the headlines which read as: “Dark Covid Cloud Looms Over IPL 2021.” The correspondent of the article also raised some serious questions regarding various aspects of the tournament.
According to studies, the last IPL would have led to losses upwards of $500m from media rights alone. IPL brings lots of money to domestic cricket. Also, we are lucky that 2021’s scenario is much different from the last year.
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