The tournament has been suspended indefinitely. We will try to conduct the event in the next available window but this month is unlikely,” league chairman Brijesh Patel told PTI.
The Board of Control for Cricket In India has suspended the tournament for at least a week, as per sources. Tuesday’s Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians match in Delhi came under cloud after Wriddhiman Saha of SRH tested positive.
“…we will take stock if we can find a suitable window later during the year. It could be September but these are all speculations. As of now we are not conducting it any further,” said BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla.
The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore match was suspended on Monday after Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier of KKR tested positive
According to sources, IPL 2021 may be cancelled and held at a later date depending on India’s cricket schedule. India are to tour England and play the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton in June.
The BCCI had been trying to continue with IPL but the increasing number of counts in different teams has made it rethink. The tournament which brings in 4000 crores of revenue to the Indian cricket board has always been a priority for the BCCI. Despite the pandemic, it held the IPL in UAE last season. The tournament passed off COVID-free.
But things have turned for the worse from earlier this week. KKR players testing positive was a starting point. It was slowly revealed several groundstaff in Delhi were infected by corononavirus that has left thousands dead in India.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was being said that the tournament would move to Mumbai again. As per original plans, IPL 2021 was to be played in a single location but the BCCI changed its mind and spread the tournament over six cities — Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore. The Kolkata and Bangalore legs were to start on May 9.
