IPL 2021: Amit Mishra becomes first Delhi Capitals member to test Covid positive in Bio-bubble

PCB’s new parental support policy allows 12 months paid leave, guaranteed contract renewal for women cricketers

The Pakistan Cricket Board introduced a new parental policy to pioneer women cricket in the country. With the implementation of the policy, the women cricketers will be allowed to get 12 months of childbirth leave and renewal of the contract for the next year to reintegrate the mother into cricket. The policy also offers one month lead for the men contracted cricketers which must be available within the 56 days of the birth of their child. The case of Bismah Maroof, Pakistan Women’s team former captain taking an indefinite break from cricket to prepare for motherhood, seems to have been the inspiration behind this policy. "The PCB has a duty of care towards its cricketers and, at every turn, it has taken measures to support them," Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive officer said in a statement released by the board. Wasim reinstated that PCB wanted its players to commit fully to cricket and the nation and for that to happen, supporting the players mentally and financially was also important. "In this relation, it is appropriate that we have a player-friendly parental support policy so that our professional cricketers can feel fully supported during an important stage in their lives, without worrying about their careers,” he said. Stressing upon the fact that it was very much necessary to support women cricketers, Wasim said, "To have this policy for our women cricketers was even more significant. Women play a pivotal role in the development of society and our women cricketers have brought us laurels and recognition on the world stage. Now that we have a maternity leave policy, I am hopeful that it will attract more women and girls to take up the sport as this will help them strike a crucial work-life balance." The policy also states that if a woman player is required to travel for cricketing activities, the PCB will support the player by allowing her to travel with a support person of her choice to assist in caring for her infant child, with the travel and accommodation costs to be shared equally.

BCCI set to bear financial losses of over ₹2000 cr after IPL 2021 gets postponed

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday had suspended the Indian Premier League with immediate effect after the rise in COVID-19 cases among the franchise teams. A senior BCCI official has now said that the board will have to bear a financial loss between ₹2000 to ₹2500 crore after the tournament has been postponed midway. “We would be losing anything between ₹2000 to ₹2500 crore for the midway postponement of this season. I would say something in the range of ₹2200 crore will be closer to accurate estimation," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. "Slash all the payments by half or a bit less and you will be reaching a loss in the range of 2200 crore. The actually losses could be much more but this is a back of the hand calculation for the season," the official added. The BCCI will suffer the biggest loss from Star Sports who has the broadcasting rights. Star has a five-year contract worth ₹16,347 crore which is ₹3269.4 crore per year and for every match it pays approximately ₹54.5 crore if there are 60 games in total in one IPL edition. Apart from this, VIVO who is the title sponsor for the IPL makes a payment of ₹440 crore per season. But because of the postponement of the league, the BCCI will get less than half of the amount. The BCCI is planning to resume the IPL in September.

IPL 2021: Franchises extend support to BCCI’s efforts of safe passage home to overseas stars

With the suspension of the Indian Premier League indefinite period by the IPL governing council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), all the franchise have extended support to the board for the safe passage of their overseas players to their home countries. Posting their statements on Twitter, the Royal Challengers Bangalore said that the safety and security of the players and everyone involved is always the first priority of the team and it supports the board’s decision to suspend the league. Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians also echoed the same sentiments saying that getting their team members to their homes safely was their primary concern with the suspension of the league. Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad thanked all the healthcare staff that were associated with the team and taking care of them and also those who are fighting the menace of Coronavirus in the entire country. The cases of Covid-19 in India are increasing day by day and BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has confirmed that any decision regarding resumption of the league once the imminent emergency on the nation subsides.

IPL 2021 has been postponed not cancelled: Rajeev Shukla

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajeev Shukla has cleared the air on the Indian Premier League and said that the tournament is postponed and not called off. "I want to make it clear that IPL 2021 has not been cancelled. It has been suspended, it has been postponed, it has been deferred, so it will happen. The remaining part of this year's IPL will happen. But in due course, when the covid situation improves, a decision will be taken about it," said Shukla while speaking on Star Sports. The IPL 2021 was on Tuesday suspended with immediate effect after there was a rise in COVID-19 cases within the franchise sides. Talking about the players who wanted to return back to their respective places, Shukla explained that the cricketers have had a conversation with the franchises. “Few players wanted to leave the country. They had spoken to their franchisees and the franchisees also confided with us. But not many players were willing to leave the country. We have to look at that aspect also and we have to take steps accordingly," Shukla said. The BCCI though is seeking the September window to complete the tournament.