The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is exploring every possible option to complete the suspended IPL 2021, but New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham doesn't see the remaining games of the cash-rich event taking place in India later this year.
The 14th edition of Indian Premier League was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday (May 4) after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in the bio-bubble of various franchises.
The IPL 2021 season saw only 29 games being held in four venues – Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Delhi – and there are 31 matches still left to be played.
"If it did start up again, I doubt the IPL would be in India again," Neesham told Newshub.
The Kiwi cricketer also has serious doubts whether India would be able to host the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
The 16-team global event is scheduled to be held in India in October-November this year. However, the country is currently facing an unprecedented health crisis caused by the second COVID-19 wave.
"I think we've already seen plans for the T20 World Cup to move out of India later in the year and they're going to be ultra-cautious about that sort of thing," said Neesham, who was part of the Mumbai Indians squad in the now-suspended league.
Positive cases were also reported in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) contingent, leading to the postponement of IPL 14 with immediate effect.
According to Neesham, bio-bubble breaches could be due to the fact that the teams were travelling across the country.
"Even though we were flying on chartered planes, we have to go through customs, hand your details over to people, walk through terminals, so there were always going to be pinch-points there," he said.
Neesham said that it is difficult to figure out how the bubble was breached.
"We obviously don't know yet exactly how teams were infiltrated, but... it's such a difficult prospect to keep everything perfect and when you've got so many guys that are close to each other, there are going to be social interactions after games.
"Once one team has it, you start looking back through your last week at who you talked to and who you shook hands with. It certainly gets your mind racing."
However, Neesham isn't hesitant about coming back to India again and playing the remaining IPL matches.
"For me, I signed up for the IPL knowing what it might be like. I felt like it was an obligation - I made the commitment to go and never had any thoughts of pulling out individually before the tournament finished," he said.
"Guys will have different opinions on that, but it's my job, I'm a professional and you have plenty of times you tour countries you're not that keen on going to, but it's about getting on the field and getting the job done.
"I would sign up again, especially once vaccinations start rolling out. I don't think anyone really predicted how quickly it would all come crashing down over there and how quickly we would be on the first plane out."
(With PTI inputs)
