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Sourav Ganguly
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly stated that Mumbai will host the IPL matches despite the rise in COVID-19 cases. Recently, ten groundkeepers of the Wankhede Stadium and a few event managers tested positive for the virus. Nitish Rana, Axar Patel, and Devdutt Padikkal have also tested positive.
DC's star player Axar Patel tested positive for the virus on Saturday. The 27-year-old is under the supervision of the team's official medical staff. As per IPL rules, Patel will have to serve a mandatory 10-day quarantine period. He also has to return two negative RT-PCR results on the final two days to get back to action. Considering his mandatory quarantine will be over on April 12, Axar Patel will not be available for the first match against Chennai on April 10.
Everything will fall in place once the tournament begins: Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly is determined about hosting the games in Mumbai even if the Maharashtra government decides to put a lockdown. A few reports had also indicated that matches scheduled to be played in Mumbai could be shifted to Hyderabad. Hyderabad Cricket Association's (HCA) president Mohammed Azharuddin also welcomed the cricket administrative body to host these IPL matches in the city.
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly seems confident about the bio-secure environment that is in place. He also remembered a few Covid-19 cases before the competition began last year in UAE. Ganguly hopes that everything will fall into place once the tournament starts. Sourav Ganguly further reckons that a lockdown in Mumbai would be a blessing in disguise as it would help reduce cases in and around Maharashtra. This would automatically lower the chances of players and staff members falling prey to the novel virus.
Wankhede Stadium is going to host 10 IPL matches this year from April 10-25. The first IPL game at the stadium is going to take place on April 10 between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Delhi Capitals (DC) will begin their IPL 2021 season in Mumbai. The 14th season of the IPL is set to start on April 9. RCB will face defending champions MI in the tournament opener.