Ravichandran Ashwin has decided to take a break from the ongoing IPL 2021 to be with his family and support them in their fight against COVID-19. Meanwhile, the Australian duo of Kane Richardson, Adam and Zampa, who were with RCB, have pulled out of this season for personal reasons.
The situation of COVID-19 is constantly worsening in India. The country has seen more than 3 lakh cases daily for the last five days. It has created a bit of nervousness all-round, including the ones playing the Indian Premier League (IPL). As many as four cricketers have pulled out because of the worsening COVID-19 situation in India.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that he will be taking a break from the ongoing 2021 edition of the IPL. The Tami Nadu off-spinner wants to support his family in their fight against COVID-19. Ashwin took to Twitter to announce the news and said that he would return ‘if things go in the right direction’.
Ashwin has featured in all the five matches that Delhi have played so far in this 2021 season. The off-spinner couldn’t really make an impact as he picked up just one wicket. However, apart from that first game, he was very economical with his spell more often than not.
Delhi Capitals were in Chennai for their last two games, and hence, Ashwin has decided to leave the DC bio-bubble and stay back in the capital city of Tami Nadu, which is also his hometown. In case Ashwin decides to return to the IPL at any stage of the tournament, he will have to undergo seven days of quarantine before joining the team bio-bubble. Delhi Capitals now travel to Ahmedabad for their next leg of matches. They will play four games at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Soon after Ashwin’s announcement, RCB released an official statement:
“Adam Zampa & Kane Richardson are returning to Australia for personal reasons and will be unavailable for the remainder of #IPL2021. Royal Challengers Bangalore management respects their decision and offers them complete support,”
RCB’s release stated.
While Zampa did not play a single game this season, Richardson was featured in the match against Rajasthan Royals . The 30-year-old pacer returned with figures of 1/29 in his three overs. He had also missed the IPL 2020 as he stayed back in Australia to be with his wife for the birth of their child.
Therefore, the Australian duo will not travel to Ahmedabad with the rest of the squad. RCB will be playing four games in Ahmedabad, with the first one being against Delhi Capitals on the 27th of April. RCB are now left with just six foreign players.
Before Ashwin, Andrew Tye flew back to Australia due to the anxiety around the deeply worrying COVID-19 situation in India. Liam Livingstone also returned home, citing bio-bubble fatigue. Both Tye and Livingstone were a part of the RR squad left with just four overseas players like Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer have been ruled out due to injuries.
