Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
The Coronavirus pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc around the world. Even the biggest T20 tournament in the world, the Indian Premier League, which is happening inside bio-secure bubbles is getting affected with overseas players making early exits. Moreover, many players are also criticising the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for conducting the lucrative tournament amid the serious situation in India. The country is currently witnessing over 3 lakh cases every day over the last few days even as states are announcing lockdowns and curbs.
Australian pacer Andrew Tye, who pulled out of the tournament, stated that he was concerned about his safe passage back home and feared contracting the infection that has claimed close to 200,000 lives in India. Tye, who was with the Rajasthan Royals, suggested that he was dealing with a philosophical question about whether the IPL should continue at all when the patients are struggling to get admitted to hospitals in the country and several hospitals are reporting severe shortage of oxygen supplies.
If sport can relieve stress or give a glimmer of hope, it can go ahead: Tye
“From a player safety point of view, we’re safe now but is it going to stay safe?" he questioned.
“But looking at it from an Indian point of view, how are these companies and franchises spending so much money, and the government, on the IPL when there’s people not being able to get accepted into hospital?” he added as quoted by Cricket Australia's digital content team.
"If sport can continue and be one of those avenues to relieve stress or give a glimmer of hope that the world is OK and there is light at the end of the tunnel, I think it should go ahead. But I know that’s not everyone’s feelings and I completely respect everyone’s views from all angles," he further said.