'The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the tournament,' says IPL
The announcement came after Sunrisers Hyderabad's wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday
The 2021 season of Indian Premier League has been suspended after some players were found Covid-19 positive, said the organisers of the marquee cricket tournament on Tuesday.
"Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an emergency meeting has unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season, with immediate effect," IPL said in the statement.
"The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind, " it further added.
"These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times. The BCCI will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021," added IPL.
IPL latest news
The announcement came after Sunrisers Hyderabad's wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha tested positive for Covid-19. On Monday, Chennai Super Kings bowling coach L Balaji along with Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy had also returned positive results.
The spread of infections had led to postponement of two IPL games earlier. BCCI was also contemplating to move the IPL 2021 to Mumbai for the rest of the season but the rising Covid-19 cases made the tournament to progress impossible.
"The BCCI and the IPL Governing Council have unanimously decided to postpone the IPL 2021 till further notice. We don't wish to compromise the safety of the players, the people involved, employees, the groundsmen, the match officials," BCCI general secretary Jay Shah told news agency ANI.
Ace cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle said on Twitter that the postponement was 'inevitable'.
"I guess it became inevitable in the last couple of days..... Look forward to calling the action in happier times. The IPL is a great event and I hope it returns stronger when the world is what we knew it to be," said Bhogle.
"The tournament has been suspended indefinitely. We will try to conduct the event in the next available window but this month is unlikely," league chairman Brijesh Patel told PTI.
IPL chairman on return of foreign players
The IPL chairman further added that BCCI will "find a way"to arrange for the of foreign players.
"We need to send them home and we will find a way to do that," Brijesh told PTI when asked how will the foreigners return home but did not elaborate beyond that.
The foreigners involved in IPL 2021 are concerned about returning to their respective countries due to travel restrictions imposed in the wake of a deadly resurgence of the pandemic in India.
IPL 2021 points table as of May 4, 2021
| Teams | Play | Won | Loss | Tie | NR | PTS | NRR |
| DC | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.547 |
| CSK | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1.263 |
| RCB | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -0.171 |
| MI | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.062 |
| RR | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.19 |
| PBKS | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.368 |
| KKR | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.494 |
| SRH | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.623 |
IPL 2021 top five batsman as of May 4, 2021
| Name | Matches | Runs | Fours | Sixes | 50s | 100s | Best |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 8 | 380 | 43 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 92 |
| KL Rahul | 7 | 331 | 27 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 91 not out |
| Faf du Plessis | 7 | 320 | 29 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 95 not out |
| Prithvi Shaw | 8 | 308 | 37 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 82 |
| Sanju Samson | 7 | 277 | 26 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 119 |
Orange cap: Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Capitals)
RCB's Harshal Patel was the leading wicket-taker before IPL 2021 gets postponed due to rising Covid-19 cases. Photo: Sportzpics for BCCI
Top five bowlers in IPL 2021 as of May 4, 2021
Purple cap: Harshal Patel (RCB)
| Name | Matches | Overs | Economy | Runs | Wickets | Best |
| Harshal Patel | 7 | 28 | 9.17 | 257 | 17 | 5 for 27 |
| Avesh Khan | 8 | 30 | 7.7 | 231 | 14 | 3 for 32 |
| Chris Morris | 7 | 26 | 8.61 | 224 | 14 | 4 for 23 |
| Rahul Chahar | 7 | 28 | 7.21 | 202 | 11 | 4 for 27 |
| Rashid Khan | 7 | 28 | 6.14 | 172 | 10 | 3 for 36 |
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