The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 has been suspended after a number of players tested positive for COVID. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) player Wriddhiman Saha tested positive earlier on Tuesday, prompting the decision to suspend IPL 2021.
Vice President Rajeev Shukla of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the decision.The league chairman Brijesh Patel also confirmed the news.
"The tournament has been suspended indefinitely. We will try to conduct the event in the next available window but this month is unlikely," Patel said.
One of the member of SRH team said, “Yes, Wriddhiman Saha has tested positive for the coronavirus. Our entire team is now under isolation and there are no other positive reports, rest are all negative”.
SRH was scheduled to play Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium later on Tuesday.
The IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals had been postponed on Wednesday after CSK bowling coach L Balaji tested positive.
The BCCI released a statement regarding the twin cases in KKR, saying: "In the third round of testing in the last four days, Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were found to be positive. The rest of the team has tested negative for Covid-19.”
"Both players have been isolated from the rest of the team. The medical team is in constant contact with both the members and is keeping an eye on their fitness. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders have instituted a regular testing regimen in order to detect any other possible cases and treat them as soon as possible," the statement continued.
As the coronavirus crisis escalated, several Australian players left the IPL early, including Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, who chose to follow AJ Tye around. After spending most of the last ten months shifting in and out of biosecure habitats, Rajasthan Royals batsman Liam Livingstone chose to return to England, citing "bubble fatigue.”