New Delhi: Despite the withdrawal of four players from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) over the past few days due to the Covid-19 pandemics, the franchises say that there are no major problems with the mental health of the players.
The sudden departure of three Australian players – Andrew Tye (Rajasthan Royals), Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson (both Royal Challengers Bangalore) and R Ashwin (Delhi Capitals) has led to speculation that players are feeling the heat to stay in the bio-bubble amid massive daily increase in number Covid-19 cases in India.
Before the departure of these players, the English player Liam Livingstone (Rajasthan Royals) also left for his country with the reference to ‘bubble fatigue’.
The franchises IANS said that the departure of players is only due to ‘personal reasons’ and is not related to mental health. So there is no concern as such.
‘As you can see, the players who left gave their personal reasons. By now it is clear that the three Aussie players are gone due to fears they will be ruled out as Australia could restrict flights. It does not relate to any issue on mental health. Same with Ashwin. It turns out that someone in his family is fighting Covid, ”Said a franchise official.
‘Covid are discussed in meetings every day and we are aware of the threat. We try to deduce from it through activities, birthday celebrations, and so on. ‘
Some officials claim most franchises are open to their players.
“That is exactly why these four managed to leave the tournament quickly and without delay. Our franchise is very open. The management is very open. If there is any problem with anyone, we told them, please contact us, ‘said a franchise official affected by the departure.
Times, for example, mentioned that it was necessary to go and the Rajasthan franchise arranged for him to return without delay. The same was the case with Zampa and Richardson leaving when RCB quickly accepted their reasoning.
“There’s no point in keeping players who do not have the best mental state to perform,” the official said.
In addition, three of the four players leaving have not played any matches yet. Only Ashwin played. So it seems like there is not much loss for the teams right now. In the future, replacements of tired bodies can be replaced.
It seems like the franchises are also going the extra mile.
RR, for example, has also arranged for outsourced services to deal with mental health issues. This is in the event that players do not feel comfortable with internal arrangements.
‘Look, bubble fatigue hurts players, officials. Everyone is human. But it is handled differently by different teams, “said an official of a team.
Teams like Mumbai Indians (MI) can boast much more than many other franchises, which is considered to be the reason why their players decide to stay back.
Tempo bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile, MI, said on Sunday he would stay in India for the full IPL. If Australia stops all flights from India, he will return after spending the quarantine period in the UAE, Coulter-Nile told cricket.com.au. The problem players like Coulter-Nile face is the fear of being excluded and not much else.
Another of the franchises involved said they were already exhausted from fatigue and satiety, but they tried their best to keep players fresh with team building exercises.
‘We already expected bio-bubble saturation to take place because they play rugby games. We do a lot of team building exercises. But this (the departure of players) is mostly due to personal reasons, ie the borders are closed, ”the official said.
However, the teams manage to follow strict protocols.
“There is the greatest care. If we travel between places, even though it is this minimum, we ensure that we pack a double mask, a visor, in addition to the PPE (personal protective equipment) pack, ‘the official said.
However, it is clear that the franchises have left everything to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and trust that the top body will ensure strict measures and get through with the IPL.
An official of a franchise that has not been left by any player and is currently among the top teams said: ‘We have not received any requests from players. BCCI is taking action. From now on no problem. The boys are happy to travel. ”
But how many players will nerve the second leg remains to be seen. Both venues – Delhi and Ahmedabad – which offer the second leg that has just started were badly affected by the pandemic.
A photo of Kane Williamson and David Warner traveling to Delhi in full PPE equipment was tweeted by cricket.com.au on Tuesday morning. However, the players’ reactions were barely visible because they were covered from head to toe.
Source: Telangana Today