Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra shared his thoughts on the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the ongoing crisis in the country. The 38-year-old reckoned that IPL should be halted as India is facing the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic. The second wave of the pandemic has shattered the country as India is the worst hit with cases touching almost millions in the last couple of days.
Abhinav Bindra told that the sportspersons are not the front-liners. He penned that the people who are ‘saving lives’ are the ‘real heroes’. He reckoned while the players are inside the bio-security bubble, they should know the happening outside the bio-bubble as well.
Abhinav Bindra fires shot at BCCI
Incidentally, many cricketers have pulled out of the competition due to the prevailing situation. Overseas cricketers Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, and Liam Livingstone while India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also opted for an indefinite break from IPL 2021.
“Cricketers and officials can’t just live in their bubble, and be deaf or blind to whatever is going outside. I can only imagine that while you’re having these IPL games, outside the stadium you have ambulances going to hospitals. I don’t know how the coverage on TV is but I would appreciate it if it’s a little bit muted in nature,” Bindra wrote.
Abhinav Bindra also opined that the IPL should not take over the real news on his column for the The Indian Express. The Olympian is hopeful the cricket fraternity will step during these grave times to help India come out of this situation quickly.
“The players should realise just how privileged they are to be able to play the IPL in these times. So, I just hope everybody involved in the IPL play their part in one way or the other, either through right messaging – like the importance of masking up, the importance of social distancing – or even finding creative ways to amplify the health requirements of people,” he added.
The founder of Abhinav Bindra Foundation said that the players should take responsibility to aware the fans and public. They should speak about the precautionary measures in the pandemic. Bindra also stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should contribute to the conduction of vaccination. The 14th of the IPL commenced on 9th April, and six cities are selected to host the league.
