Record number of Covid-19 cases, unprecedented deaths, medical infrastructure on the brink of a collapse, the second wave of the novel coronavirus has posed never-seen-before challenges for India. Yet, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been running the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 efficiently with players in bio-bubble.
There’s no doubting that the execution of the 14th edition of the IPL has been near-flawless despite the chaos that Covid is causing outside the bubble. Yet, other cricket boards like Cricket Australia and England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are understandably worried about the well-being of their players.
After three Aussie players — Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa and Andrew Tye — decided to withdraw from the league over Covid-19 fear, the ECB has also come in a tricky situation over the welfare of its players.
“It is a delicate situation for the ECB, who are due to host both the India men’s and women’s teams this summer and are also desperate to recruit Indian players for their new Hundred competition, if not this season then next,” an ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying by Sportsmail.
The BCCI and ECB share a great understanding and respect for each other. The England board is hopeful of cashing on that relationship to get some Indian players for The Hundred, either this or next season. A few international assignments are also scheduled to come. Amid such a situation, a decision on whether to allow their players to continue participating in the IPL or to pull them out remains a tricky one.
