BCCI is likely to pause and postpone the ongoing Cooch Behar Trophy after several players tested positive for COVID-19. Under-19 Cooch Behar Knockout Trophy is in jeopardy after 57 people – including players, support staff, and others – tested positive for Covid-19.
The development comes after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to postpone the Ranji Trophy, the Senior Women’s T20 League for the 2021-22 season, and Col CK Nayudu Trophy due to the rising cases of Covid-19 in the country. Among the 57 infected people, 30 are players, nine are support staff, and the rest are groundsmen and match officials who were going to be a part of the tournament.
BCCI Will Take A Call On Covid Affected Under-19 Cooch Behar Knockout Trophy
The BCCI hasn’t called off the tournament yet but a decision will be taken soon. BCCI on Monday postponed the knockout phase of the Cooch Behar Trophy (for Under-19), which was set to kick off from Tuesday in Pune, due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in all the teams. A formal announcement from the Board to this effect is expected anytime.
“We will take a call on it soon. As the tournament was already on, we didn’t want it to stop but soon we will have to take a decision on it,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying.
A total of 8 teams – Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Mumbai, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Haryana, and Bengal have qualified for the tournament. Out of the thirty infected players, six are from Mumbai while every team has an infected player; most of them are asymptomatic, the report stated further.
All teams were scheduled to play four-day knockout games in Pune starting Tuesday. Mumbai and Maharashtra played their last game in Pune and are stationed there. Other teams arrived from their respective locations on Saturday and were directed to undergo a three-day quarantine. The reports also stated that the players have to share rooms and undergo daily tests for the next three days.
BCCI Postponed 3 Domestic Tournaments Earlier
A few days ago, BCCI had taken the call to postpone three domestic tournaments. In a press release, secretary Jay Shah had stated that the health and safety of the players and everyone else involved in the game were paramount.
“BCCI does not want to compromise the safety of the players, support staff, match officials and other participants involved and hence, has decided to put the three tournaments on hold till further notice. The BCCI will continue to assess the situation and take a call on the start of the tournaments accordingly,” Shah had said.
His statement had come just a few days after BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said that the board will go ahead with its domestic cricket season despite the rise in Covid-19 cases. There was a Covid-19 outbreak in the Bengal Ranji squad, with several players testing positive.
Sourav Ganguly himself had to be hospitalized as a precautionary measure after being found infected by the virus. Even Cricket Association of Bengal president Avishek Dalmiya had to be admitted to a hospital “as a precaution” after contracting Covid.