Australian Cricketers Could Leave IPL 2021 Midway Amid Rapid Surge in COVID-19 Cases in India, Say Reports

Many questions have been raised over the happening of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 amid the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in India. In the past 24 hours, India recorded nearly 3.5 lakh new COVID-19 cases and over 2,700 deaths. With the second strain of coronavirus wreaking havoc in India, many cities have gone under strict lockdown, but IPL 2021 continues. However, as per several Australian media reports, many Aussie cricketers are looking to leave the tournament early amid fears they will be locked out of the country because of India’s increasing COVID-19 crisis. IPL 2021 Points Table Updated.

In a conversation with The Age, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor David Hussey said some Australian players were worried about securing safe passage back home after the Scott Morrison-led government decided to cut incoming flights from India. Hence, this could propel many Aussie players to leave the tournament early. “Everyone’s sort of a bit nervous about whether they can get back into Australia. I dare say there’ll be a few other Australians a bit nervous about getting back into Australia,” Hussey was quoted as per saying by The Age.

Aussie Players Seeking To Leave IPL 2021 Mid-Way!!

Earlier, former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist had also questioned the BCCI for conducting IPL 2021 despite the nation's ‘frightening’ COVID-19 numbers. Notably, IPL 2021 is taking place under some special norms due to the global health scare. All squads are under a strict bio-secure bubble with players undergoing COVID-19 tests every now and then. Although some players like Devdutt Padikkal, Axar Patel and Liam Livingstone contracted the virus ahead of the tournament, they all have turned negative now.

However, the tournament is still in its early stages, and if the number of contracted cases continues to go up at this rate, BCCI might be forced to take a tough call. So far, the first 20 games of this season have taken place in Mumbai and Chennai. However, the action is scheduled to move to Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru as the season progresses.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2021 07:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).