Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson on Friday (May 7) said the decision by BCCI to postpone IPL 2021 was made in agreement with all the franchises for the health and safety of everybody.
After four out of the eight teams have come in the grip of the deadly Coronavirus outbreak, the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council have mutually decided to postpone the IPL 2021 indefinitely and Hesson said the decision was taken in agreement with all the franchises.
The RCB Director of Cricket Operations said it was the best safest way to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak inside the IPL 14 bio-bubble while saying the BCCI was very worried after several positive cases emerged in the different franchises before the postponement of the tournament on May 4.
Hesson said in a video shared by the RCB: “The situation really escalated once a couple of teams had positive cases within the bio-bubble. So once that happened, the BCCI was obviously very worried about the health and safety of everybody within the eight franchises.”
He further added, “In the end, the decision was made in agreement with all the franchises that the safest way of dealing with it is to postpone the tournament. Things will be looked at a later date. Initially, the main priority was the health and safety of everybody within the eight bio-bubbles.”
Meanwhile, the RCB Chairman Anand Kripalu said that BCCI is looking at the September window to host the remainder of the IPL 20201, but said everything is provisional at the moment.
Mr. Kripalu said in the same video shared by the RCB on Friday: “We got a call from the BCCI to say that they are going to be suspending the IPL given the fact that four teams have been affected (by COVID cases) and there is too much of risk.”
He signed off by saying, “They are not certain when this will resume, but it is not a canceled tournament and it is going to resume. They have indicated September, saying they are trying to find a window, but we don’t know exactly yet.”
(With WION Inputs)
