The Board for Control of Cricket in India was looking forward to vaccinating all the players ahead of the fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League. Later the board got no response from the players and now a section of BCCI wants Olympics contingents to need to be vaccinated first and given priority.
“We have had informal discussions not that we have got anything in writing. However, we have been requesting that we should get the players vaccinated. But since it is not in the age group (the elderly are given preference by the government) as of now, whatever has been decided by the government. We also realize the government has to take everything into consideration,” a Board official told IANS.
“The government has a bigger responsibility. They have got bigger plans. We understand their compulsions also,” added the official.
Indian Olympics contingent also wants their players to get vaccinated ahead of the mega tournament although some athletes are getting it done on their own initiative.
“We have got the Olympic contingent also that needs to get vaccinated. We feel that is more important than our cricketers. Because they are representing our country [at the quadrennial games] in 2-3 months. It would be huge contingent that will be going. Since the government has been unable to do that, [can’t expect] they would [do it for cricketers],” added the official.
IPL is going to start from April 9 and recently Delhi Capitals star all-rounder Axar Patel has been tested positive for the coronavirus and few members of ground-staff in Mumbai also tested positive. The surge of the COVID pandemic in the nation has taken another turn with all these new cases ahead of the mega tournament in India.
