Indian umpire Nitin Menon and his Australian counterpart Paul Reiffel are the latest in a growing list of people who have decided to pull out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (2021) due to personal reasons.
Nitin Menon, who is the only Indian in ICC’s Elite panel of umpires, is believed to have left the IPL 2021 bio-bubble to return home to Indore. Menon’s wife and mother have tested positive for COVID-19, according to reports.
“Yes, Nitin has left as his immediate family members have COVID-19 and he is currently not in a mental state to conduct games,” PTI quoted a BCCI official as saying.
Former Australian fast bowler Paul Reiffel meanwhile, has returned home a few days back due to anxiety about the Australian government not allowing flights from India.
“Nitin has a small child to look after as his mother and wife have tested positive while Reiffel informed BCCI that he fears not being able to go home due to the Australian government’s decision banning all flights from India.
“The BCCI already had several local umpires as back-up so they will be officiating in games in which Menon and Reiffel were scheduled to stand,” a BCCI official was quoted by The Indian Express.
The three Aussies – Richardson, Zampa and Tye – have already returned home due to personal reasons while Liam Livingstone went back to England citing bubble-fatigue as the reasons behind his decision to leave.
