© Provided by CBS Sports The 2021 Indian Premier League cricket season has been suspended indefinitely following the continued increase in COVID-19 cases in India. On Tuesday, COVID-19 cases surpassed 20 million and there were 357,229 new cases over the last 24 hours.
The Indian Premier League season, which was ongoing and being held in a bubble, was scheduled to end on May 23 with qualifiers and eliminators taking place afterwards. The league final was scheduled to take place on May 30.
All of that is up in the air now, with no information announced on when the IPL might resume.
On Tuesday, the Mumbai Indians were slated to take on the Sunrisers Hyderebad, but the Sunrisers had a positive COVID-19 case among their staff hours before the match was to be played, which led to the decision to suspend the season, Sky Sports reported.
"The Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an emergency meeting has unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season, with immediate effect," the Indian Premier League said in a statement. "The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organizing the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind.
"These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times."
The Indian Premier League takes place over a two-month period and attracts some of the sport's biggest stars. According to CNN, it is the sixth-most valuable sports league in the world.