The BCCI will not conduct the forthcoming T20I series between India and South Africa in a bio-bubble. “If I’m not wrong, the bio-bubble for IPL-2022 was the last. For the India-SA series onwards, players will be tested (for Covid), but will not in any bio-bubble,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said.
Since Covid-19 struck, cricketers have been forced to play sport in strict bio-bubbles, which have caused mental fatigue, resulting in many of them opting out of key tours and games. However, Shah says that with their families too staying with them in the bubbles, the players also enjoyed being there. “Yes, it’s tough for the players. However, they got a family-like atmosphere inside the hotel bio-bubble. In the case of the IPL, we had hotels dedicated to each team. The whole tournament was held at one place. All the teams had their lounges, recreational centres (to relax and unwind). So, they were also enjoying,” said the BCCI secretary.
Having conducted three IPLs during pandemic time, the BCCI deserves praise, felt Shah. “We were among the first cricket boards which conducted a domestic league (during Covid, in 2020 in the UAE). We created the largest bio-bubble in the world. When IPL-2020 kicked off, there wasn’t a single Covid case. We conducted more than 30,000 tests during that tournament. We’ve to thank the UAE government also for giving on arrival visas and providing tight security. In 2021, we tried to hold the IPL in India, but the moment there was a Covid outbreak in the teams, we immediately postponed the IPL and shifted it to UAE,” Shah elaborated.
