Wriddhiman Saha questions IPL 2021 bio bubble tightness, says UAE would have been better venue

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended midway after multiple players and staff members contracted the COVID-19 virus. Notably, the tournament was taking place under strict bio-secure protocols, with players being asked to follow certain norms and regulations. However, the deadly virus breached the bubble and affected many. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha was also among players who tested positive for coronavirus during the tournament.

Nevertheless, the 36-year-old has now recovered and is gearing up for his upcoming assignments. Saha, in a recent interaction, talked about how things unfolded in IPL 2021 and he had some major statements to make. The veteran cricketer indicated that the bio-bubble for IPL 14 was not as foolproof as the one in UAE last year. He also subtly questioned BCCI’s decision to conduct the gala T20 tournament in India despite the COVID-19 catastrophe.

IPL 2021 should have been played in UAE: Wriddhiman Saha

“It’s the job of the stakeholders to assess it, but the only thing I would say is that there was not a single individual during our training in UAE (last year), not even a ground staff. Here there would be people, kids peeping from nearby walls. I don’t want to comment much but we saw how the IPL went off smoothly in UAE in 2020 and then it started in India this year with cases on the rise,” Saha was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

The right-handed also opined that IPL 2021 should have happened in UAE, like last year. “I don’t know what would have happened, but definitely I feel it would have been better off in UAE this time as well. It’s for the stakeholders to look into it,” the SRH star added.

Out of the 60 scheduled games, only 29 took place till the season suspension and now, BCCI faces the daunting task of conducting the remaining tournament in a jam-packed calendar. As per reports, the apex cricket board is mulling to host the remaining season in England in September. However, if the cost escalates over a certain point, the competition will move to the UAE.

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