Only 29 matches of the IPL have been played so far and owing to the postponement, BCCI is expecting a loss of around Rs. 2300 to 2500 crores. However, the Governing Council has been forced to take the right steps keeping in mind the interests of the players and the support staff. Many questions also arise in this scenario.
When Varun Chakraborty had a shoulder strain, why was he allowed to go to the hospital outside and hence breaking the bio bubble? Keeping in view the condition of the city and the hospitals nowadays, it should not have been done. The KKR representative clearly says that he had obtained permission from the BCCI for a hospital scan of Varun’s shoulder.
Varun Chakraborty’s health did not deteriorate in a day, when he was not in a comfortable position then why he was not dropped in the previous match against Delhi Capitals.
L. Balaji, bowling coach of CSK, sat in his team’s dugout in the match against Mumbai Indians, five days before he tested positive. When the provision of testing was for every two days, it is likely that he did not get tested at the right time.
When Devdutt Padikkal was a regular member of RCB, why he was not quarantined in the hotel after he tested positive? Why were the mandatory quarantine rules not imposed on him when he came from home, when most of the teams opposed it? And why was he allowed to practice in the nets along with his team mates without spending his quarantine properly?
RCB leg-spinner Adam Zampa said that Covid-19 safety regulations in India were not as strictly followed as they were in the UAE last year.
The action plan was prepared when the tournament was taken to Mumbai. There Wankhede and Brabourne Stadium are within walking distance and there are many five-star hotels nearby as well. If this action plan had been prepared earlier as an alternative arrangement, the IPL could have been saved from being postponed.
The next leg of the IPL was scheduled to be held in Kolkata and Bengaluru. A large number of cases were coming up in Bengaluru. For the third phase, teams would have faced severe difficulties to reach those places and adjust to the situation.
RCB refused to play against KKR and CSK refused to play against Rajasthan Royals, however, such initiatives should have been taken by the Governing Council of the IPL.