IPL 2021 suspended indefinitely, says BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla after 1 more player tests positive

New Delhi: Having hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic, the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) has been suspended for the time being after an SRH player tested positive ahead of their scheduled match against Mumbai Indians in Delhi today. The rising numbers of Covid positives within the IPL bio bubble have led to the suspension of the season mid-way.

“The IPL has been suspended for time being. We spoke to everyone from teams, broadcasters and all those who were involved in it. It was decided to defer the IPL especially looking at the sentiment and current situation in the country. For us players health is paramount and BCCI will always keeps safety first. We will meet again soon and decide when we can conclude this edition, we will have to see when is the next window available,” Rajiv Shuka, BCCI vice president.

This comes after Wednesday’s IPL game between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals was postponed after CSK bowling coach L Balaji tested positive for the virus. On Monday, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore was also postponed after KKR bowlers Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy tested positive for the infection.

It was learnt that CSK informed the BCCI that they could step back on the field only once all players who came in contact with the two people who tested positive cleared three tests over a six day period, as per Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) of the IPL.