New Zealand and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Kane Williamson said it was the right decision to suspend the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) indefinitely following the bio-bubble breaches given India’s “tragic and heartbreaking” COVID-19 crisis.
There were multiple COVID-19 cases were found in the different IPL franchises including the Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – Wriddhiman Saha – which forced the BCCI and IPL governing council to postponed the IPL 2021 indefinitely on May 4 amid the devastating Coronavirus outbreak in India.
Reacting to the IPL 14 suspension, Williamson said the board made the right decision while insisting all the players were very well looked after in the IPL bio-bubble but admitted that “clearly there were some breaches” in the IPL’s bio-bubble after the first half of the T20 league.
The New Zealand skipper alongside his players reached England for their 2-match Test series and the World Test Championship final in June. He is currently quarantining in Southampton.
Williamson told reporters from his hotel room, “Things escalated really quickly over in India, and the challenges that way in that part of the world are heartbreaking to see. From suppose us playing in a bubble with a face, you know clearly it became too great.”
He added, “We were very well looked after in the bubble for the first half of the tournament when things were still intact but clearly there were some breaches. The tournament couldn’t continue and the right decisions were made, I believe that’s how things unfolded in the IPL.
Things were okay, we were tracking for the most part of the IPL before there was a quick escalation obviously of COVID-19. (It was) so tragic and obviously such challenging times for them as a country and bubble breach in the cricketing circle and things happened quite quickly after that for us I suppose.”
On the Kiwi players’ exit from Coronavirus-hit India, Kane noted: “The boards made plans. Logistically, there were challenges and yes, it happened quickly, which meant a trip to Maldives with a bunch of other IPL cricketers, so it’s been a bit of whirlwind for all players involved. A lot of people were involved to have us safely get home or where we had to get to.”
He further added on the 13-day stay in the Maldives, “It was quite a group, most of us were there for 13 days or so, and we were well looked after and were able to get on to a plane here.”
The Kiwi skipper also opened up about how his friends and family were concerned after a picture of him and David Warner in PPE kit surfaced on social media.
He signed off by saying: “I had some messages from friends and family and it was certainly very well documented COVID (situation in India). When you are on your own in countries where the situation is fearsome and in so many parts that you are going, you need to go about doing it safely with a lot of protocols to follow.”
(With PTI Inputs)
