We were asked to pack our bags and leave for home: SRH pacer Khaleel Ahmed

May 4 saw the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspending the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the coronavirus managed to breach the IPL bio-bubble and a number of COVID-19 positive cases were reported. The COVID-19 scare in IPL 2021 started with Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier from KKR testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

The same was followed by three members of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) contingent testing positive for the virus. DC’s Amit Mishra and SRH’s Wriddhiman Saha also returned positive for the deadly virus and thus BCCI took the call of postponing the tournament for an indefinite time period. 

SRH’s pacer Khaleel Ahmed opined on the whole fiasco saying that players didn’t know till the end moment regarding who from Hyderabad tested positive for the virus as they were just told by BCCI to pack their bags and leave for their homes. He also added that they were locked in their hotel rooms and were asked to wait for further instructions from the authorities.

“I was in my room and I was informed that someone from our team has tested positive. We were all asked to remain in our rooms and wait for further instructions from the BCCI. After some time, the BCCI protocols list came in and we were asked to pack our bags and leave for home,” Khaleel told the Times of India.

There is nothing more important than life right now: Khaleel Ahmed

“The BCCI and the franchise asked us to reach home safely. This was the first thing they conveyed to us. We will wait for further instructions from the management,” added Ahmed.

Furthermore, the Orange Army cricketer lauded the Indian board for their decision of postponing the T20 Championship. Khaleel believes that nothing is more important than life at the moment and thus the BCCI did right by thinking about the safety of the players and other members involved in the Indian Premier League.

“There is nothing more important than life right now. I respect the BCCI’s decision to suspend the IPL for now. Right now, a couple of players have been infected and they might infect the entire team. So, the BCCI took the correct decision to send us home back safely,” concluded the speedster.