The prevailing crisis in the country due to coronavirus has put the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in jeopardy. A number of cricketers have decided to opt out of the tournament amid the rampantly rising cases and deaths in the country. However, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is confident to host IPL 2021 as per schedule.
Although the tournament is taking place in a strict bio-secure environment, with no mishap reported thus far, the anxiousness of the foreign players has raised questions on whether the league would be conducted further. Moreover, there have been calls from a certain section of the civil society to postpone the league till the situation gets back to normal.
IPL 2021 will go as per schedule – Sourav Ganguly
However, Sourav Ganguly has rubbished claims of postponing IPL 2021. The former India cricketer has said that there are no plans in place to bring any change in the schedule as of now, and the tournament is going to be conducted “as per the schedule”.
“So far, it’s going on as scheduled,” Ganguly told Sportstaron Monday.
“As of now, there is no communication in calling off the tournament, so we are planning everything to keep players motivated and safe. If any player wants to pull out due to family/personal reasons, we will do everything possible to help him,” another BCCI official said earlier.
In the last 24 hours, as many as three players have pulled out of the tournament due to different reasons. While India and Delhi Capitals’ off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin cited the reason to be with his family during the crisis, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa opted out stating personal reasons.
Apart from them, Andrew Tye, Rajasthan Royals’ fast bowler, flew back to Australia intending to avoid the growing risks and the fear of not being able to fly back later due to flight unavailability. Liam Livingstone, his Rajasthan teammate, had cited bubble fatigue as the reason behind not playing the IPL further.