… feels Board should have donated US$1 billion to show solidarity

THE Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) postponed the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after a number of players and support staff tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Indian board is expected to incur a whopping loss of INR 2000 crore for halting the tournament midway.
Meanwhile, the ex-IPL Governing Council member Surinder Khanna slammed the cricket body for not donating anything to show their solidarity to the people of India. India is undergoing a medical emergency as the country is daily reporting over 350 000 coronavirus cases. In such tough situations, many overseas and Indian cricketers have come forward to do their bit by donating some amount of money. However, BCCI is yet to make a contribution. Speaking about the same, former India wicketkeeper Surinder Khanna said, “The BCCI-IPL should have donated at least Rs 100 crore (US$1 billion) towards COVID-19 relief.
It’s a loss of the BCCI’s profits, that’s all. In any case, the official IPL telecaster (Star Sports) has insurance cover under the force majeure clause. The Board still has enough cash reserves to carry out what is clearly its moral and social responsibility at a time like this.”

Further, Surinder asserted that the Indian Premier League should have been called off much earlier as the safety of the people is more important than money.
He also questioned BCCI for hosting the tournament in India instead of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The veteran reckoned that making a bio-bubble in six cities makes no sense and the Indian board should definitely trace how the bubble was breached.
“The IPL should have been called much earlier, and even the franchises should have made that clear. Are they only bothered with profits, and not concerned with lives. I just can’t understand why, just seven months down the line, did they decide to move back the tournament to India?”
“A bio-bubble operates best when there is just one city involved. So, maybe, if you chose only Mumbai, it was fine; but here, you were holding the league in six cities. Why did the Board not engage the same agency (Restrata) which had created such a secure bio-bubble in the IPL in the UAE last year? The Board must probe how the bubble was breached,” Khanna concluded. (CricTracker)