IPL 2021: ECB still not mulling to withdraw players despite huge spike in COVID cases

The English players who are currently part of the IPL is expected to stay in their respective bio-bubbles atleast as of now after the England Cricket Board (ECB) made a revelation that they have no plans to pull their players out of the ongoing IPL. With three of the Australian players reportedly flying back home, the English players were bound to feel the heat as well. However, the English board has left it upon the individuals to decide whether they want to continue or fly back home.

Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa pulled out of the tournament earlier today after Andrew Tye and Ravichandran Ashwin also announce their decision to withdraw midway through the tournament. While Ashwin expects to return if the situation improves, the other three Australian players cannot take any further part in the tournament. Earlier it was Liam Livingstone who left the Rajasthan Royals bio-bubble citing bubble fatigue.

Currently, there are 11 English players who are plying their trade in the IPL. Despite the situation worsening in India, ECB doesn’t feel the immediate need to pull their players out of the tournament. Earlier today, Mumbai Indians pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile stated that he feels more secure in the MI bio-bubble at the moment rather than going back home.

“We continue to monitor and work with the players on an individual basis. We are offering advice daily to those that seek it. Our thoughts are with the people of India during these difficult times,” a spokesperson for the ECB said.

Earlier in the day, it was Australian speedster Pat Cummins who is part of the Kolkata Knight Riders who showed a wonderful gesture by donating 50,000 dollars to India’s Prime Minister Fund in response to India’s fight against COVID-19. He also urged other cricketers and from other fraternities as well to contribute for India’s cause.

“There has been quite a bit of discussion over here as to whether it is appropriate for the IPL to continue while COVID-19 infection rates remain high. I’m advised that the Indian Government is of the view that playing the IPL while the population is in lockdown provides a few hours of joy and respite each day at an otherwise difficult time for the country.

“As players, we are privileged to have a platform that allows us to reach millions of people that we can use for good. With that in mind, I have made a contribution to the ‘PM Cares Fund’, specifically to purchase oxygen supplies for India’s hospitals.

“I encourage my fellow IPL players – and anyone else around the world who has been touched by India’s passion and generosity – to contribute. I will kick it off with 50,000. I know my donation isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but I hope it will make a difference to someone,” he wrote on his Twitter handle.

Discover more

IPL 2021: Nathan Coulter-Nile feels safer to stay in MI bio-bubble

Australian fast bowler and currently a part of the Mumbai Indians squad in the ongoing IPL Nathan Coulter-Nile has decided to be part of the MI bio-bubble despite some of his national teammates leaving the tournament midway. The second wave of COVID-19 is creating a ruckus in the country with a record number of cases each day. While players like Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa and Andrew Tye has decided to leave the tournament midway, Coulter-Nile feels it safer for him to be part of the Mumbai Indians bio-bubble. Tye had returned home fearing that he may be “locked out” of his own country due to the massive surge of the deadly virus. Coulter-Nile who is yet to get a game for the MI this season was bought by the defending champions for Rs 5 crores in the February auction. Coulter-Nile was surprised to see three of his countrymen leaving midway through the tournament. "Everyone's got their own opinions on it and different situations for them," Coulter-Nile told cricket.com.au. "I was surprised to see AJ go home, and then Zamps and Richo, but when you speak to them, you definitely understand where they're coming from. I spoke to Zamps a little while ago and he made a very compelling argument for going home. But for me, I feel like it's safer for me to stay in the bubble than try and get home at the moment," he added. Meanwhile, there are several Australian players plying their trade in the ongoing IPL. While David Warner is leading the Sunrisers Hyderabad, players like Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins and Steve Smith are also part of the tournament. It will be interesting to see if they also follow the same path of their three other countrymen in the next few days. "...I feel like something's got to give for getting home. I'm just going to wait and see how that plays out." "Worst comes to worst, we'll have to quarantine in Dubai for a couple of weeks before we can fly home. But I'm sure it will get sorted," said Coulter-Nile. Coulter-Nile is regularly tested three times a day. The fast bowler said that he has astute faith in the bio-bubble created by the Mumbai Indians for the IPL. "We have a rapid response test in the morning ahead of another test later in the day, and then one at night as well. And that's for everyone players, staff, the people who do laundry, cleaners, everyone," he further added. "In terms of testing, they are pretty onto it. I'm as confident (in the bubble) as you can be. All the protocols and measures are in place, I can't think of anything more we could be doing. As long as everyone follows them that's the hardest bit, there's a lot of moving parts but if everyone does the right thing, we should be fine," concluded Coulter-Nile.

I was the one who asked Pant to give me the Super Over: Axar Patel

In the first-ever Super Over of this season of the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The victory came courtesy of some very tight bowling by the DC left-arm spinner AAxar Patel who was making a comeback in the IPL. But Patel wasn’t the first choice of the skipper Rishabh Pant or coach Ricky Ponting. It was only when he insisted that a spinning option would be a better one against the SRH’s left-right combination, that Gujarat born was trusted with the ball. "When I came out of the dressing room, the coach and everyone was talking to go with a fast bowler - Avesh Khan - because they would send a left-right combination,” Axar told in the post-match virtual press conference. "When we were just stepping onto the ground, I thought a spinner would be more effective. So I told Rishabh that I could also bowl the over. Then he spoke to Ricky [Ponting], and it was decided at the last moment that I would bowl," the 27-year-old explained. Axar who ended the regular game with figures of 2-26, conceded just seven runs in the Super Over, giving his team a more than good enough chance to chase the target down. This was the first IPL game for the Delhi all-rounder. Talking about his time while recovering from Covid, Axar said, "Even before Covid I was bowling well, in Test matches, and then I bowled in the T20Is too. So, I was carrying the same confidence.” The breakout star from the England Test series further divulged how he did not let Covid-19 rule over his instincts and his love for the game. "I wasn't thinking much that I have had Covid. After recovering from Covid, if I still keep thinking about it that I lost 20 days…obviously it was frustrating but I wasn't thinking much about it,” he said.

India along with seven nations qualify as cricket makes comeback to Commonwealth Games

Cricket became the first discipline to announce their qualifying teams for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced the list of six nationals and one spot confirmed for one nation from the Caribbean for the multi-sport event scheduled from 28 July to 8 August next year. Along with hosts England, Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan made it to the list based on the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings on 1 April 2021. Once a team from the West Indies is decided then the last participating team will be decided through a qualifying tournament to be held by 31 January 2022. West Indies participates as one team representing a cluster of nations in the ICC tournaments, but in a multi-nation medal vent such as the Commonwealth Games, only individual nations could take part. The iconic Edgbaston Stadium will host the games which would involve eight women teams. The tickets are set to go on sale later this year. This would be the second time in the history of the Commonwealth Games that cricket would be a part of the games. An only men’s ODI event was held during the 1998 Kualalampur Games where South Africa won the Gold medal. ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice, while speaking on the occasion of the announcement of the decision said, “We are incredibly proud and excited to be part of Birmingham 2022 and it is a fantastic opportunity for us to continue to grow the women’s game globally.” India T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur was also excited about cricket coming back to the global event and said, “It’s great to be confirmed a place in the Commonwealth Games.” We are raring to go, confident of doing well after having made the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year,” she added.

IPL 2021: Kane Williamson laments losing another super over despite batting master-class

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson once again showed why he is rated among the very best in the world after his fighting knock against the Delhi Capitals. Williamson carried his bat through the run-chase and remained unbeaten on 66 of 51 deliveries as the match ended in a tie. Eventually, the Delhi Capitals scraped through a victory in the final delivery of the super over. It was indeed a special innings from Williamson. When he came into the crease, SRH had just lost the wickets of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow and needed someone to steady the ship. He played the situation to perfection and just when his team needed the boundaries he provided them with some shots which oozed class and clarity. However, his efforts weren’t enough as SRH couldn’t get past the target. Williamson was the captain of New Zealand when they lost the 2019 World Cup final by the barest of margins. The tied match was followed by a tied super over with England scraping through by the virtue of scoring more boundaries. "I am getting tired of coming second in the Super Overs," Williamson said at the post-match press conference. "Throughout the game, whenever there is a Super Over, as a batting side chasing a score that was very competitive, there are a lot of positives to take out of it." "It is really uncanny in game of cricket that things can end in a tie but I suppose it is very, very exciting. A lot of positives, we move on really quickly to Delhi," he added. Cricket is a game of very small margins and the match between SRH and DC exactly resembled that. Williamson played some delightful shots en route to his knock of 66. His wide array of shots were out in the display as he weaved his magic with the bat. "It is a game of very small margins and I think, if we are being honest, we just want to do different aspects of our game a bit better. This game, if you are able to do it, then the result can change quite quickly." Williamson said. "I suppose when it ends in a tie, you can look at the one run throughout the whole innings. I think, on the whole, a lot of positives," he further added. Riding on the back of a sensational half-century from opener Prithvi Shaw and some able support by skipper Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals reached a competitive score of 159 in their allotted 20 overs. On a relatively difficult Cheapuk pitch the target never seemed easy. The match looked like going in DC’s favour until Williamson and Jagadeesh Suchith changed the complexion of the match with their hitting prowess in the last two overs. Williamson said that it was a good feeling to be there till the end but he would have been happier had he managed to get his side over the finishing line. "It was nice to be there at the end, it would have been a lot nicer if I was there at the end and we were at the right side of the result. You know there were a lot of valuable partnerships in the innings and we lacked a bit of momentum because that was the nature of the surface." Williamson spoke about the conditions at Chepauk. "We got very close, some positives to build on. We do not know how the surfaces will be in Delhi," the Kiwi skipper stated about their next league in the league. The Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently occupying the 7th position just ahead of the Kolkata Knight Riders. With 5 matches under their belt, the Orange Army has just managed to win a solitary match. They will next play against the Chennai Super Kings on 28th April at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.