OTD| IPL 2021 was postponed as Covid-19’s second wave hit the teams

In this article, we will discuss the On This Day IPL 2021 was postponed as Covid-19’s second wave hit the teams. It has been more than four years since the world has witnessed one of the biggest crises in history, the Covid-19 pandemic. Even now, it is unclear where the virus emerged which has a major widespread and highly asymmetric impact on every industry. The sports sector also had no escape from the infectious disease. 

By April 2020, pandemic cases were at their peak in India and it was time the nation was gearing up for the biggest cricket carnival, the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indian Cricket Board and the Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) were then forced to suspend IPL 2020 until further notice. 

Later, the Indian government gave permission to the cricket board to hold the tournament in Dubai. All IPL 2020 matches were held in the Gulf country from 19 September and the final on 10 November. The tournament was a success even though everyone including the organizers, players and support staff had to strictly follow the COVID protocol. 

Dubai becomes reliable host for IPL as second peak of COVID grips India

By the end of 2020, the number of viral cases decreased and all industries slowly started to resume their operations. However, it was only a matter of time before the pandemic became much stronger than it already was. India experienced the second wave of Covid-19 from late April to early May 2021. 

Though the nation were reeling under an unprecedented surge of Corona Virus, the Indian Cricket Board decided to host the IPL in India. The 14th edition kick-started on April 9 in Chennai with all players and necessary personnel were kept in a bio-bubble to keep them safe from the pandemic. 

However, things took a turn for the worse after a few days when multiple players, support staff and groundsmen from various teams tested positive inside the bubble. This forced the IPL GC to suspend the tournament indefinitely after completing 29 of the 56 league-stage matches. The decision was made to ensure that all participants return home safely.

After careful consideration and discussions, the governing body of Indian cricket decided to shift the tournament to Dubai. The carnival resumed on September 19, with a match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Notably, CSK won the title in 2021 by defeating the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs.