How was IPL 2021 bio-bubble breached? This is reportedly the main factor

Exactly 29 games, out of the total 60 scheduled, of the IPL 2021 season were carried out successfully before the tournament was suspended due to a breach in the bio bubble causing several cases across the Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings camps.

On May 3, the fixture between KKR and Rajasthan Royals was postponed after Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for the virus. Consequently, with more cases coming from the Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad camps, the IPL season was put on hold. While there was a bubble breach, the source of the breach has not been found out.

According to a report in TOI, there was a breach in COVID-19 protocols during the second phase of IPL 2021. Delhi and Ahmedabad, which also saw a huge surge in COVID-19 cases as the second wave, were the cities hosting the second leg of IPL 2021 and that also meant there was a lack of alternative training facilities there.

“There is a belief within many Board of Control for Cricket of India (BCCI) and state officials that the decision to take the second phase to Delhi and Ahmedabad was wrong. There were four teams in each city and except for the main ground, which is an international-level facility and hosted matches, the alternate facilities meant for practice were open to exposure to Covid-19,” an official source told IANS, as reported by TOI.

The teams that moved to Delhi, including the Chennai Super Kings, held their match training at the Roshanara Club grounds while the IPL camps in Ahmedabad had to use the Gujarat College ground for practice.

“The problem with the newly-built Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera is that the adjoining grounds and facilities are still under construction. While it will be a state-of-the-art facility with multiple grounds, it is not yet completed. The teams can’t use the current practice nets as it is not suitable for big hitting needed during T20 practice. It is okay for Test matches or first-class cricket practice,” said the official.

“So, taking players to Gujarat College ground was fraught with risk as there are so many people like the maalis (gardeners), security guard and others. It was easy to get infected,” he added. Besides Chakravarthy and Warrier, two other cases emerged from the Kolkata Knight Riders after the postponement news broke out.

“The Roshanara Club in Delhi is also a club which is not suited for practice for IPL franchise. Besides, you have local staff that can easily infect the players or staff,” said the official.

Delhi has two Palam grounds which are spacious and secure, away from the city as well. There might have been issues with some aspects of the facilities there, although it has hosted international teams’ practice in the past. Closer to the IPL teams’ hotels is Jamia Millia Islamia ground, which is secure and has excellent dressing rooms, though the pitches could be an issue there.

“Shifting the tournament to Delhi and Ahmedabad opened the tournament to Covid-19 exposure,” the official said.
The BCCI has not given any dates for the completion of the remainder of the IPL as the board is yet to decide on a window to carry out the remaining 31 fixtures. With India touring England and Sri Lanka during the June-August window, the IPL will not resume in the near future.