The pandemic has wreaked havoc in India and people who are inside the safe biosecure bubble of the Indian Premier League (IPL) also are not feeling safe.
Despite the vaccine being rolled out, the number of cases has been on a rise in the midst of the second wave where a million new cases have been reported over the last three days.
It has been over a fortnight since the commencement of IPL 2021 and while the tournament has so far witnessed plenty of blockbusters as well as power-packed performances on the field, things seem to have taken a hit off the Cricket field with five players pulling out of this year’s competition due to unavoidable circumstances.
Delhi Capitals off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has decided to cut short his Indian Premier League (IPL) season to support his “family and extended family”. Australian medium-pacer Andrew Tye, as well as compatriots, leg-spinner Adam Zampa and seam-bowling all-rounder Kane Richardson, are returning home as well. Earlier, England batsman Liam Livingstone had pulled out citing bubble fatigue. A grim Covid scenario outside has started to penetrate the IPL bubble.
Taking to Twitter, Ashwin wrote, “I would be taking a break from this year’s IPL from tomorrow. My family and extended family are putting up a fight against #COVID19 and I want to support them during these tough times. I expect to return to play if things go in the right direction. Thank you @DelhiCapitals.”
Meanwhile, RCB’s overseas players Kane Richardson, and, his countryman Adam Zampa have withdrawn from the tournament recently and the three-time finalists had made an official announcement on their micro-blogging site regarding the same on Monday. The Bangalore-based franchise informed that both of them will be heading back to Australia due to personal reasons.
Many have questioned the decision to hold the IPL amidst the pandemic, while others have argued that the cricket extravaganza has served as the much-needed distraction from a gloomy environment.
