IPL 2021: "The cricket is a sideshow and hopefully they can get on top of this coronavirus ASAP"- Ross Taylor
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has said that the IPL is of secondary importance in the midst of the raging COVID-19 pandemic in India.
The tournament has come under the scanner after a game between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday had to be rescheduled after two KKR players tested positive. Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for COVID-19, following which the entire KKR team has been put under isolation.
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, while empathising with the people of India, wishes them to be able to return to their normal lives as early as possible.
"You see all the footage on TV, and things have escalated very quickly, I've been there many a time before – they're lovely people, and they love their cricket, but this cricket is a sideshow, and hopefully they can get on top of this coronavirus ASAP and get back to living a normal life. It's pretty disappointing to be watching and wish them all the best." Taylor said as quoted by nzherald.co.nz
Taylor also added that the New Zealand Cricket Board is in contact with the New Zealand players in the IPL and said that each team's bio-bubble situation is slightly different. The batsman hopes the organisers of the T20 tournament would take the right decisions following the evolving COVID-19 scare.
"New Zealand Cricket and the Players Association are in regular contact with the players over there. I'm sure they're all in slightly different boats in terms of where they fit in and how they feel, but I'm sure whatever happens over the coming days and weeks, the right decisions will be made," Taylor added.
Remainder of IPL could be played entirely in Mumbai - Reports
According to reports from ESPNCricinfo, BCCI is contemplating staging the remainder of IPL 2021 in Mumbai to minimise the risk of teams contracting the virus while travelling from one city to the other. The decision may come in the wake of the COVID-19 incident on Monday, where two KKR players tested positive.
COVID-19 cases have also popped up among the Chennai Super Kings contingent, but none of the players have tested positive yet.
Mumbai has three venues - Wankhede Stadium, DY Patil Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium, where IPL games can be played. Cases in Mumbai have gone down in the last few days, given strict lockdown conditions in the city.