New Delhi: The players, especially foreign recruits already concerned about getting home with travel restricted from India, seem to be tensed in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases in the middle of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament.
This comes following the emergence of two cases in Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) camp on Monday as Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier got infected with the virus. The IPL teams, however, are of the view that the tournament should proceed and “there is no going back” despite the pandemic threat.
The foreign players’ worries come amid questions on how a strict bio-bubble created for the IPL was breached.
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A franchise official, however, said “there is no going back now with half of the tournament done”, adding the “news (two positive cases in KKR camp) makes the BCCI’s job more challenging”.
“We have been hearing that a player got infected because he was taken outside the bubble for scans. So, it could have happened outside the bubble. As far as I know, everyone is strictly following the protocols laid out by the BCCI and there was no breach there,” PTI quoted the official as saying.
Echoing similar sentiments, another team official said the tournament should continue, adding the only way is to “keep isolating the positive cases”.
“Even if you have to pause the tournament, how long can you hold back? The only way is to keep isolating the positive cases and keep playing. The players are naturally more anxious now but it is mainly because they are not sure about how they would get back home,” he said.
Another team official, however, put the ball in the BCCI’s court.
“We should let the BCCI decide what is best for all of us. Flooding them with too many opinions on what should be done following the cases at KKR would only lead to more confusion,” he said.
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The foreign players' worries come as Australia, New Zealand and UK have banned travellers from India and several players competing in the T20 league are from these nations.
The players of several IPL teams, including KKR and Delhi Capitals, have been asked to stay in their rooms following Monday’s news.
A support staff member of a leading franchise said “we have been told to stay in our rooms and strictly follow the protocols”.
“The players are fully aware that the situation outside is grim and the IPL bio bubble is a much safer environment at this point in time,” he added.