Harsha Bhogle lauds the idea of conducting IPL 2021 behind closed doors

Veteran commentator-cum-cricket expert Harsha Bhogle has said that is better not to take any chances by having crowds in the stadiums for IPL 2021 that gets underway on April 9.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday unveiled the schedule for the cash-rich tournament wherein, it has been informed by the IPL Governing Council that the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League would begin at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with defending champions as well as five-time champions Mumbai Indians locking horns with the three-time finalists Royal Challengers Bangalore in the curtain-raiser.

'We cannot take any chances': Harsha Bhogle

Taking to the micro-blogging site, the 'Voice of Indian Cricket' first hailed a 'completely new format' for IPL 2021 and wrote that as no team plays at home, it is fair given that only five teams have matches at their grounds and on top of that, there will be no crowds early on. 

Furthermore, the versatile cricket pundit added that he would have loved crowds but appreciates that one cannot take any chances at the IPL, especially after the PSL situation.

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The ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League had to be postponed with immediate effect following a string of positive COVID-19 cases as three new players tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total tally to seven. Giving further clarification on the same, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had cited the health and wellbeing of all participants as the reason to postpone the event. The Pak cricket board also went on to confirm that this decision was made in consultation with the team owners.

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IPL 2021

Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host 8 matches each, between April 9 and May 30. In addition, every team is set to play at a neutral venue and all teams will play at 4 out of 6 venues during the league stage. 11 doubleheaders where 6 teams will play 3-afternoon matches & two teams will play two-afternoon matches are scheduled for the marquee tournament. The fixtures of the tournament have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage, thus reducing commute and minimising risk.

The summit clash of IPL 2021 will be played at the newly inaugurated Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 30, making it the first-ever IPL game to be played at the venue. 

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