MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League is very much on, the BCCI insisted Monday, even as leading Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and three Australian players announced their withdrawal from the IPL amid the escalating COVID-19 crisis in India.
“As of now, IPL is going ahead. Obviously, if anyone wants to leave, that’s perfectly fine,” a senior Board official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
What said official also acknowledged without verbalising it was that there was some belated realisation that the way the IPL was being presented to audiences in the middle of a raging health crisis was inappropriate and “tone deaf” at many levels.
But as they say, better late than never. As noted by ESPNcricinfo, the first indication of this was seen on Sunday afternoon, as the captains of Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore waited for the toss, commentator Ian Bishop put out a public service announcement: mask up, keep a safe distance, self-sanitise. The simple message, repeated several times during play, was the first high-visibility sign of the IPL as an institution addressing the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc in India.
Abhinav holds a mirror to the Indian cricketing ecosystem
But the one who held a mirror to the Indian cricketing “echo chamber” was Olympic Gold medallist Abhinav Bindra who argued in a signed article in the Indian Express that the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) pointed out that in the present scenario, the sportspersons aren’t the frontline workers and the ones ‘saving lives’ are the ‘real heroes’. He said while the IPL is taking place in the bio-security bubbles, one should also be aware of the situation outside the field of play.
“Cricketers and officials can’t just live in their own bubble, and be totally deaf or blind to whatever is going outside. I can only imagine that while you’re having these IPL games, outside the stadium you have ambulances going to hospitals. I don’t know how the coverage on TV is but I would really appreciate if it’s a little bit muted in nature,” Bindra wrote.
Bindra stressed that the players taking part in the IPL should take responsibility in making the general people aware of the importance of taking the necessary precautionary measures in the pandemic.
“The players should realise just how privileged they are to be able to play the IPL in these times. So, I just hope everybody involved in the IPL play their part in one way or the other, either through right messaging – like the importance of masking up, the importance of social distancing – or even finding creative ways to amplify the health requirements of people.”
But Bindra reserved a more blunt comment for the BCCI leadership India when he stated that had he been the president of Indian cricket he would have contributed whole-heartedly to the conduct of vaccination and in any other way.
And what of India’s cricket superstars? They have also been to be wholly lacking in terms of their collective response to the tragedy unfolding across the country. It took an Australian cricketer to show up the mirror as it were. Kolkata Knight Riders’ pacer Pat Cummins announced on Monday a $50,000 donation towards oxygen supplies in India’s Covid-19 ravaged hospitals.
In a statement on his official Twitter handle, he made the announcement and urged other top players to do the same as the country battles a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There has been a lot of discussion over here as to whether it is appropriate for the IPL to continue while COVID-19 infection rates remain high.
Speaking of Kolkata Knight Riders, the team’s Australian mentor David Hussey acknowledged that Australians in the IPL are a “bit nervous” about getting back home in the wake of the situation here.
“Everyone is sort of a bit nervous about whether they can get back into Australia. I dare say there will be a few other Australians a bit nervous about getting back into Australia,” Hussey, a former Australia international, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I just thought to try and get on the front foot and get home before I got locked out of the country…think I’ve had 11 days at home out of the bubble since August, so for me I just wanted to get home,” Tye told SEN Radio from Doha, the transit point before his flight to Perth.
Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association also issued a joint statement on Monday, saying that they are monitoring the situation.
“Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association remain in regular contact with Australian players, coaches and commentators taking part in the Indian Premier League, which is being conducted under strict bio-security protocols,” the two bodies said.
“We will continue to listen to feedback from those on the ground in India and the advice of the Australian Government. Our thoughts are with the people of India at this difficult time.”
“We continue to monitor and work with the players on an individual basis. Our thoughts are with the people of India during these difficult times,” a spokesperson of the England and Wales Cricket Board told PTI.
