Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), defended the board’s decision to hold the T20 tournament in India despite the coronavirus pandemic just days after the IPL 2021 was postponed. The former India captain used the example of a virus breaking the Premier League bubble and impacting football players in the UK to illustrate how difficult it is to suppress the virus even within a bio-secure environment.
In an interview with the Indian Express, Ganguly said that the study obtained by the board indicates that there was no break in the bio-bubble.
“No, I don’t believe so. According to the information we received, the bubble has not been pierced. It’s impossible to determine exactly what happened. It’s also difficult to tell how many people are being (infected) in the world “This is what Ganguly was quoted as saying.
The 14th edition of the IPL was postponed indefinitely after four franchises, Kolkata Knight Riders, SunRisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, and Chennai Super Kings, announced positive Covid cases within their camps.
“It is beyond the reach of skilled hands all over the world (virus penetrating the bubble). There were incidents in the English Premier League as it was occurring in England (second wave of the pandemic). Manchester City and Arsenal players have been afflicted with the virus “According to Ganguly.
The former India captain said that the board finds it impossible to reschedule games due to the tight calendar.
“Matches in the Premier League have been rescheduled. They will do that because their season is six months long. However, we are in the midst of a tight season. Rescheduling was complicated because we had to (release) players to their respective countries “Ganguly went on to say.
The former left-handed batsman also claimed that there were talks about hosting the 14th edition of the IPL in the UAE, but the BCCI opted to stage it in India due to a lack of cases in the country at the time.