It needed a catastrophe of Bibilical Proportions for the Indian Premier League to come to a screeching halt on Tuesday.
Since the time news broke of the Bio Bubble being breached in a few cities and players/support staff of four franchises testing RTPCR positive, all hell broke loose. It is not as if the IPL governing council, and the Indian cricket board (BCCI) was prompt in announcing the suspension on Monday itself.
Matches on Monday were put off and still there was speculation the Kotla would hold a match on Tuesday. Mercifully, no.
The Bio Bubble being breached meant almost all players had to be screened again. The story is not just about a a 100 players or so but much more. If ground staff at Kotla were Covid 19 positive in New Delhi, a city struggling to breathe and provide oxygen for those dying in hospitals and home, one can well imagine how stupid the decision was for Delhi to play host.
From vitamins to steroids and ICU beds to BIPAP and ventilators, everything is in short supply in the Capital . The bigger problem or human crisis is hospital staff (doctors, nurses, paramedics) and related people stretched so badly, Capital Chaos was never a venue for the IPL, more so as the hospitals are almost begging daily the last fortnight for oxygen cylinders.
The IPL is lucky players have only tested positive and no further damage has been done. In the past, one has seen, the IPL needed clearances from several agencies for it to be held. In 2020, when the IPL was moved to the United Arab Emirates, it was good in many ways. The Bio Bubble was very secure off shore and some players actually felt enervated it was so strict.
Then again, from Dubai to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi was much more manageable than having multiple venues in India, each facing problems of extreme degrees. If UAE was a hit, the BCCI mandarins must have thought they could do it in India.
To be sure, when the IPL began last month, the Covid-19 situation was not so bad. Perhaps, the BCCI bosses should have made a quick decision to restrict the IPL to two cities. After all, during England’s tour of India, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune were the three cities chosen. More importantly, at that time, India had gone past the first wave.
Once the second wave began, it has lashed like tsunami. From Mumbai to Delhi and Kolkata to Bengaluru, the force with which the virus and its mutant strains have rocked humanity demanded the IPL be protected. The Bio Bubble breach has been huge and at multiple levels.
It needs a probe for endangering lives of not just cricketers but of so many more humans. People laughed at Australia when a few days ago they said players could not return as air travel had been banned. There was outrage when umpire Paul Reiffel could not fly home. However, his Indian counterpart Nitin Menon was lucky.
Perhaps, once R.Ashwin decided to walk out of the Delhi Capitals team last week, it was a big message. His decision to leave was made as his immediate family members had been hit by the virus. Ashwin being Ashwin, he did not calculate losses.
Perhaps, this is when the IPL should have been halted.
Even now, people are talking of players being retained in the bubble. Knowing very well the bubble has burst, they should just tell players to pack up and go home. If at all a solution can be found and double header matches can be arranged, then the Bio Bubble should be rearranged at a later date.
In a year when many players have suffered injuries, the latest fiasco is going to haunt the players. As it is, the marquee cricketers are facing enormous flak in the last few weeks. They must be mentally psyched out now.
Messrs Jay Shah and company, please show a human touch. The second wave in India has caused damage of Bibilical Proportion. Lives have been lost, families ruined, kids orphaned, people being cremated in groups, as if this a War is on between two nations.
India is dealing with the worst humanitarian crisis in more than a century. At least, those alive today have not seen anything like this before. Pack up IPL and don’t calculate profit and losses.
BCCI, do not think IPL fans will miss night entertainment. There are many more options for the TV viewers, like other times of the year.