MUMBAI: The 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 a spurt in COVID-19 cases in all the teams. Apparently, the Board was forced to take the decision after as many as 56 players tested positive across the eight teams left in the tournament.
In an email to all the state associations on Monday, BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote: "Dear Colleagues, I hope you and your family members are healthy and safe. I thank you for your understanding and for supporting us in our decision to postpone the domestic tournaments in view of the rising COVID-19 cases across India. As estimated, the caseload shot up immediately. I believe a timely call was taken and it will help us curb the spread of the new variant, which is far more infectious." (TOI has a copy of the mail)
He then explained why the BCCI was forced to postpone the knockouts of the Cooch Behar Trophy, when it had been initially decided that it would be the only tournament to be continued. "At the time, it was decided that the Cooch Behar Trophy, which had already started, could continue as we had successfully completed the league stage involving 93 matches across 20 venues. We were set for the knockout stage in Pune with quarterfinals from tomorrow but with just 7 matches left in the tournament, the virus has raised its head again. Unfortunately, there have been COVID-19 cases within the team environment, and we are now forced to postpone the knockout stage, keeping the health and safety of everyone concerned," wrote Shah.
The BCCI is hopeful of completing the knockouts of the tournament, once the covid situation improves in the country. "Once the caseload again goes down and the situation improves, we will lock in a new window and resume the knockout leg of the tournament. Let's hope we get over this phase quickly and resume our domestic cricket operations once again with full gusto. Best wishes," Shah concluded in his communication to the state units.
Just ahead of their quarterfinals against Rajasthan in Pune, the Mumbai Under-19 team's five players and one member of the support staff had tested positive for COVID-19. "The Mumbai team came back to Mumbai from Pune in the afternoon by bus. The six members of our contingent who tested positive will stay back at Pune and will be under the observation and treatment of doctors from the Apollo hospital. Those players who were the close contacts (roommates) of these six, are being brought back in a separate vehicle," a source in the Mumbai Cricket Association told TOI.
On January 5, the BCCI had postponed all the tournaments in domestic cricket, excluding the Cooch Behar Trophy, after a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases. Last Friday it had emerged that as many as 15 members of the MCA's staff, and three staffers in the BCCI's office had tested positive for Covid-19.
44,388 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Maharashtra on Sunday, with 19,474 fresh infections in Mumbai.
