Some board members believe that the IPL should have taken a leaf out of the way the Indian Super League (ISL) was conducted. Reliance Industries subsidiary Football Sports Development Limited, which operates ISL with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), has offered the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) for the construction of a secure central bio-secure bubble for the 2021 IPL edition.
Eleven franchise ISL was held between November 20, 2020, and March 13, 2021 – for a total of 114 days. The entire bubble to manage this league and its operations went into effect for 195 days – from the beginning of September to the end of the tournament. The FSDL which successfully implemented it has provided the BCCI with the draft to secure lying the IPL. The BCCI ‘politely rejected’ the idea.
When the IPL was planned this year, the Covid-19 declined, there was relative security and a sense that the worst was over. The BCCI has decided to host the 52-day IPL, which involved 60 matches in six cities. Believing the fact that the European Football Leagues were successful in doing this, it decided to have it in six different centers. It has not hired a central IT and security agency. In doing so, did it expose the danger of flying between matches, and not build a mid-life bubble?
What worked for is that it can provide enough manpower, enough RT-PCR tests, and logistics. FSDL spent about Rs 17 crore on security measures. The ISL zeroed in on three possible venues to host the league – Goa, Kerala, and Kolkata – but eventually decided to sack Kerala and Kolkata due to the upcoming state elections. Kolkata and Chennai are among the six venues of BCCI to host the IPL where elections are being planned. “It should be a city,” is l sources said.
Soon after the ISL ended, FSDL chairperson Nita Ambani said: “Despite the pandemic of the world, despite the odds against us, despite the fear and uncertainty, this season of ISL has brought a lot of joy, excitement, and celebration sway into our lives.” In fact, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly himself spoke highly of the league’s bio-bubble. “Successful completion of ISL in these challenging times is really a new benchmark for the Indian sports industry. What is clear, however, is that the IPL was caught in the second wave of a nightmare when the monster flew in the air. No one expected it.