Veteran cricketer Harbhajan Singh is worried about lives more than cricket. Cricket is affected because of COVID-19 pandemic and Indian Premier League (IPL), which was scheduled to be played at the end of March, is currently in doubt.
Speaking at India Today's Salaam Cricket 2020, Harbhajan wants IPL to happen, but he also cleared that safety is people is more important.
"I really want the IPL to happen but only when things are safe not just for me but for everybody associated with the tournament. There are about 200-300 people on the ground whenever a match is played and we need to take care of the safety of everybody present.
"Even if there is a 1% chance of the threat of spreading Covid-19 from one of us then IPL should be further postponed. It's not an issue even if the IPL doesn't happen this year. Saving lives is most important and if the virus spreads through the IPL then the tournament shouldn't happen. If things are safe then it will be great to wear the yellow jersey again and get back on the field," Harbhajan said.
BCCI hasn't made any announcement regarding the tournament but there is possibility that the cash-rich league may take place if T20 World Cup won't be played. The vacant window will be used by BCCI.
Harbhajan's IPL teammate from Chennai Super Kings, Suresh Raina echoed his words and said even the smallest of mistakes can take someone's life.
"Agree with Bhajji paa. It will be the first time that we will be playing without fans, foreign players will come from abroad, camerapersons will be there, shoot commitments will also be there," Raina said.
"Till the time the players are not safe... Cricket is an outdoor sport so if someone like Bhajji pa is following the guidelines, it will also be my responsibility to follow them as well. One mistake can cost lives which will be very disappointing. We need to be very careful in whatever we decide to do now."
India great Sunil Gavaskar has shared his opinion on the matter as well. He believes a shorter version of IPL won't be a bad idea.
"If the IPL is held in Sri Lanka from September then it might be possible. If you play somewhere overseas then the home and away factor won't be there. So instead of the 14 matches per team, the tournament will be reduced to maybe 7 matches per team. That might be possible and only then maybe the IPL can happen. Then we can have IPL in September-October, not in India because there can be monsoon at that time. Maybe, Sri Lanka or UAE can host the IPL," Gavaskar said.
(With inputs from India Today)
