Vivo IPL 2021: Umpires Nitin Menon and Paul Reiffel opted-out of Vivo IPL 2021.
Vivo IPL 2021: To lengthen the list of players and umpires who have pulled their names back from the fourteenth edition of the Vivo IPL, Umpires Nitin Menon and Paul Reiffel are the new addition to the list. Both the umpires were part of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires.
Menon and Reiffel cited some personal reasons for withdrawing their names.
Indian umpire Nitin Menon who is in a brilliant form flew back home to Indore after his wife and mother both tested Covid-positive while Australian Umpire Paul Reiffel was scared to get stuck out his country after Australian government restricted flights from India.
“Nitin has a small child to look after as his mother and wife have tested positive while Reiffel informed BCCI that he fears not being able to go home due to the Australian government’s decision banning all flights from India. The BCCI already had several local umpires as backup so they will be officiating in games in which Menon and Reiffel were scheduled to stand,” a BCCI official confirmed.
Earlier, Australian cricketers Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye and Kane Richardon have pulled out of the Vivo IPL due to the similar reasons of being stuck out of their country. England cricketer Liam Livingstone has also pulled out citing “bubble fatigue” accumulated over the year while Ravichandran Ashwin took a break from the Indian T20 league as his family and extended family are fighting with the dreaded virus.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked another Australian umpire Rod Tucker to arrive in India however he too informed that he won’t be coming to the sub-continent citing personal reasons.
BCCI on Tuesday wrote a letter to all the players, commentators, Umpires and coaching staff that the board will arrange all the facilities to send them back home after the tournament is over. The board regulated the advisory after the Australian government banned all the flights from India till May 15th.
“We understand that many of you are apprehensive about how you will get back home once the tournament concludes, which is natural and understandable. We want to apprise you that you have nothing to worry about. The BCCI will do everything to ensure that you reach your respective destinations seamlessly. The BCCI is monitoring the situation very closely and is working with the government authorities to make arrangements to get you home once the tournament concludes. Be rest assured that the tournament is not over for BCCI till each one of you has reached your home, safe and sound,” wrote BCCI’s interim chief executive officer Hemang Amin in an email.
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