Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting on Monday said that the ongoing 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become more about what is happening outside the tournament than the matches itself due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in India.
“This IPL, probably more than any other, has become more about what’s happening on the outside than what’s happening here. We right now are probably the safest people in the country being in the bubbles that we are in,” Ponting said in a video posted on Delhi Capitals’ Youtube page.
“Continuously, I’m asking the boys at breakfast every day how’s everything going on the outside, how’s family, is your family safe? Is family happy?” he further added.
Earlier, DC spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had announced to take a break from the ongoing tournament to support his family members, who are battling the deadly virus.
“Yes, it is hard for the players to be away from their families. I can’t imagine, even if I put myself in this situation, guys that live in Chennai are actually home now, but can’t see their families. It must be incredibly difficult,” said Ponting.
“So the more we can share these experiences, the better off we are. The people that aren’t from India, we can be talking to the locals about what they are going through. We will just keep our fingers crossed. And hope people remain safe. That’s a big thing for me, the players are taking the best care of their families where they can from the outside. And we look after what we can do here,” Ponting added.
Meanwhile, RCB players – Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson had also pulled out of the lucrative league though they didn’t spoke on the Covid issue and rather cited personal reason behind the cause.