After a steep rise in COVID 19 cases in Maharashtra, the state government had announced statewide lockdown on weekends. Despite that, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly confirmed that IPL 2021 will be held as per schedule.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly claimed that IPL 2021 will go on as per schedule hours after the Maharashtra state government announced lockdown on weekends in the state to curb the spread of COVID 19.
This statement from Ganguly comes as a relief as a lot of speculations regarding the postponement of IPL 2021 were being made after several ground staff members and cricketers tested positive.
Everything will go on as per schedule,
Ganguly told ANI.
The Maharashtra government on Sunday announced a strict lockdown for the weekends starting from Friday 8pm to Monday 7am. Sports complexes too have been closed down till April 30.
The BCCI is currently trying to manage the crisis situation after RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal and Delhi Capitals’ all-rounder Axar Patel tested positive for COVID 19. Moreover, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is set to host a number of matches this season but after ten ground staff members at the stadium tested positive for COVID 19, a change in IPL schedule and venue was being speculated by cricket fans across the country.
As a precautionary measure, Indore and Hyderabad are on standby for hosting the opener but Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium should get the game as planned. The Times of India has quoted a senior BCCI official saying ‘its too late to shift the match.’
The official told the newspaper that it’s just too late to move the matches from Mumbai to any other venue. The members of the organizing team and players are following a strict bubble. Although BCCI has Hyderabad as a back-up but it’s just not viable to move everything around with less than a week left before the tournament goes on floor.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals spinner Axar Patel has tested positive for Coronavirus. Both Padikkal and Axar are set to miss their first game. Nitish Rana too was said to be Covid-19 positive but he was found negative later.
The Indian Premier League starts on April 9 with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Virat’s Royal Challengers.
