Organising IPL during Covid-19 not a mistake, there was no breach of bubble: BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

According to reports, air travel and food delivery likely exposed players and staff to Covid-19

The Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to put the Indian Premier League 2021 on hold after multiple players, including SunRisers Hyderabad’s Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi Capitals’ Amit Mishra tested Covid-19 positive despite a bio-bubble in place to protect the players from the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Reports have revealed several cracks in the bio-bubble, such as air travel and food delivery, that likely exposed players and staff to Covid-19.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, however, remained firm that organising the IPL in the midst of a pandemic was not a mistake and he was unaware of how the bio-bubble was breached.

Also read: Explained | How the IPL bio-bubble was breached

The decision to host the tournament was taken at a time when the Covid situation in India seemed under control, he said. The tournament was no mistake as India did not report such a massive number of daily cases when the IPL began, Ganguly told The Indian Express. He cited the India-England Test, ODI and T20I series to prove his point.

However, Ganguly remained vague on whether it was right to continue with the tournament even as the country was faced with a massive health crisis. Instead he said, the EPL and La Liga also went on.

He said that though BCCI initially thought of hosting it in the UAE, the downward coronavirus curve in India ultimately led to a change in the Board's decision. Choosing six cities instead of one was also done because of that.

On whether the players were infected because the bio-security bubble was not foolproof, Ganguly reiterated that there was no breach of the bubble.

"The report we got is that there is no breach of the bubble. How it happened is very difficult to say. How so many people are getting (infected) in the country is also very difficult to say," the BCCI President said.

According to a report by NDTV, the bubble precautions may not have been completely foolproof.

Two players and one team coach likely caught the virus while travelling through an airport terminal as teams’ requests for tarmac access had been denied by state governments.

While air travel was the biggest concern, there are also reports of faulty tracking devices and doubts regarding the testing and quarantine measures in place for ground and hotel staff, catering, net bowlers, DJs, and drivers, who were outside the bio-bubble but came in contact with players and management. Food delivery was reportedly permitted until the last week.

Read more: Mike Atherton doesn't see IPL being rescheduled

BCCI has been criticised for not appointing UK-based company Restrata to arrange the bio-bubble like last season. But Ganguly thinks that those given the responsibility this time were professionals, and things were not in their control as experts are still grappling to control the coronavirus situation around the world.

According to multiple reports, the BCCI had left player and staff safety to the individual franchises, who pawned the responsibility off to local hospital vendors and testing labs. This was in stark contrast to the successful IPL 2020 organised in the United Arab Emirates.

Australia pacer Pat Cummins too said that the IPL organisers, in hindsight, could have "tweaked a few things" and gone too far after deciding to host the league in India. Cummins, a key part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team, said the previous edition held in UAE was incredibly "well-run" and the organisers pushed it a "little step further" by organising it at home this year.

He also revealed that the World Test Championship final is on schedule and will be held at Southampton from June 18-22.