IPL-2021 was suspended with immediate effect. This decision managed to sadden all the cricket fans. Everyone were really looking forward for it to commence and the first half of the tournament was loved by one and all. We saw high scoring thrillers, low scoring thrillers and even a super over! However the enjoyment was short lived as BCCI had to indefinite suspend IPL-2021 due as many players and staff members of various teams tested positive for COVID-19. However, wasn’t the bio-bubble suppose to be secure? Weren’t they all in the bubble? How did they come in contact with a COVID-19 carrier? Today we shall be speaking about How COVID-19 got into the bio-bubbles that led to the suspension of IPL-2021.
Well for starters, the hotel staff weren’t quarantined! How can one expect the players to be secure if the staff members of the hotel in which they are residing haven’t isolated themselves? This was a must. Plus hotels were booked randomly and not near the stadiums. To add to all of this, one hotel was rumored to be situated in a mall! Training sessions are another reason for all of this chaos. Even the ground staff weren’t included in the bio-bubble! It is obvious that the ground staff would be around them and they needed to atleast quarantine themselves which they didn’t. It was later reported that a two to three members of the ground staff tested positive as well. Among all of this, the fact that matches were held at different venues and not just two was one of the biggest issues. Players were exposed to flights and possibly even the airport, which is utterly dangerous in this situation. How can one expect the bubble to be safe when the IPL isn’t scheduled in a single city? There wasn’t even a central bubble. The BCCI did not even hire an IT and safety company to build a bubble. An important point to be noted is that a central bubble did exist in IPL-2020. Franchises were complaining of a faulty GPS tracker as well.
The GPS tracking was faulty as the FOB’S handed over to the individuals were apparently “Sub Standard”. As mentioned earlier, IPL-2021 wasn’t conducted in a single city and this resulted in travel and transportation. It was reported that majority of the cases emerged during or after the travel. Tarmac- to- tarmac flights were not arranged. There weren’t even any educating programs set up. The only thing that was done was handling over the SOP’s. The crew and commentators were travelling economy. They were left with no other choice. How does BCCI not make any arrangements for that? Last but not the least, the management of a few teams were poor to say the least. One would have certainly expected better from the richest cricket board in the world. Everyone were shocked when Adam Zampa said that the bio-bubble of IPL-2021 was one if the most vulnerable bio-bubble he has ever seen. It turns out he was right. Let’s hope that these mistakes are not repeated if and when IPL-2021 resumes again.
.