NEWS
Follow UsWith the extreme rise in Covid-19 cases in India and the resultant danger to the bio-bubbles for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), the BCCI is mulling the idea of vaccinating the players by getting in touch with the Union Health Ministry. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Devdutt Padikkal, Delhi Capitals’ Axar Patel, and Kolkata Knight Riders Nitish Rana have already been infected with the virus apart from a host of other cases that have put the bio-bubble in jeopardy.
With the IPL only five days away, there has been a genuine concern on how to navigate through this perilous situation but BCCI Vice-president Rajeev Shukla announced that the board will get in touch with the Health Ministry to vaccinate the players. "In order to cope with this coronavirus rise, I think the only solution is to get vaccinated. BCCI is also thinking on those lines that players should be vaccinated,” Shukla told ANI.
“Nobody knows when coronavirus is going to end and you can't give a deadline that by this time frame, it will not be there so players can play easily. So, I think now will have to think over that. Vaccination should be done for the players also.”
Indore and Hyderabad on standby. With Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray hinting at a full lockdown - even though the matches will be immune to that due to the state government’s assurance - a shift can’t be ruled out. Earlier, Hyderabad was reported as the backup venue but now Shukla has thrown Indore into the mix as the two stand-by options.
"We are keeping a close eye on each venue regarding Covid-19 cases, as of now no decision has been taken but Indore and Hyderabad are on standby. Will see what to be done, health and safety of players are of utmost importance," a source had told ANI.