Nawab Malik, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister, reported on Monday that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 matches in Mumbai will go ahead as scheduled with no obstacles. His declaration comes a day after Maharashtra proclaimed a weekend shutdown from Friday 8 p.m. to Monday 7 p.m. to tackle the spread of COVID-19.
“The approval for the matches has been granted with conditions; the public would not be permitted to access the stadiums. Participants in the IPL will be required to remain in a single location for the duration of the tournament. We have made it clear that there should be no overcrowding, and on this basis, we have granted permission “ANI quoted Malik as saying.
“Vaccination is being demanded by many people, and the BCCI has already asked that the players be vaccinated. We also know that a large number of people in Maharashtra are at risk of contracting the virus. We really want the age cap to be lowered so that we can vaccinate, but we won’t be allowed to do that until the Central Government grants us permission “Added he.
On Sunday, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly announced that the 14th edition of the IPL will run according to schedule.
“Everything will go according to plan,” Ganguly said to ANI.
From April 10 to 25, Wankhede Stadium will host ten IPL matches. The Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings will play their first match in Mumbai on April 10.
As of now, four franchises have formed themselves in Mumbai: the Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, and Rajasthan Royals. The BCCI is also considering player vaccination ahead of the IPL, with vice president Rajeev Shukla reporting that the board would contact the Ministry of Health about player vaccination.
“I believe that the best way to deal with this coronavirus outbreak is to get vaccinated. The BCCI is now considering whether or not players should be vaccinated. Nobody knows when the coronavirus will be eradicated, and you can’t guarantee that it will be out by a certain date so that athletes can continue to compete. So, I guess I’ll have to think about it now. The players should be vaccinated as well “ANI quoted Shukla as saying.
When asked if the BCCI has written to the Health Ministry about player vaccination, Shukla said that the BCCI is considering the idea and that they would certainly contact the ministry to request that players be vaccinated.