Ganguly says IPL is going ahead as scheduled

Cricket Management Board of India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday confirmed that everything will go ‘on schedule’ in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. His confirmation comes just hours after the Maharashtra government announce a closing weekend to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Everything will go on schedule,” Ganguly told ANI news agency. Maharashtra will go into a harsh weekend lockdown from Friday to Monday, said state Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik, adding that essential services and transport including buses, trains, and taxis will be allowed. The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday in view of inflating COVID-19 cases, he told reporters.

“A decision has also been made to enforce strict lock-in between 8.00 pm on Friday and 7.00 am on Monday in Maharashtra. The decision was taken after consultation, ”he added. Wankhede Stadium is expected to host 10 IPL games this season from April 10 to 25.

The first match in Mumbai is slated to be played on April 10 between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. Four franchises – Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, and Rajasthan Royals have currently set up their base in Mumbai.

The fifth Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise is also currently based in Mumbai, but they will soon be moving to Chennai to play their first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 11.

The BCCI is also thinking about vaccinating players before the IPL with BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla saying the board will contact the Ministry of Health for a player vaccination.

“To cope with this Coronavirus rise, I think the only solution is to get vaccinated. BCCI also thinks along those lines that players should be vaccinated. No one knows when Coronavirus will end and you can’t give a deadline that won’t be there by this schedule so players can play easily. So, I think now that you have to think about that. Vaccination should be done for the players as well, ”Shukla told ANI.

When asked if BCCI has written to the Ministry of Health about player vaccination, Shukla said that the BCCI is ridiculing the idea and will definitely contact the ministry that players should be vaccinated. (Zee News App:, with ANI inputs)

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