BCCI Treasurer reveals how Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour mishap made them think twice about holding the IPL

BCCI Treasurer reveals how Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour mishap made them think twice about holding the IPL
Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour mishap made the BCCI think twice of staging the IPL

Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour, which was an exhibition event, held for players of the Balkan States, in June will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The tournament was organized by Novak Djokovic so that the players could return to action, after 3 months of a strict lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament held in Serbian and Croatia was criticized for its lack of social distancing measures, after the fans were allowed in the stadium and a few players testes positive for the coronavirus.

Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric , Viktor Troicki and Novak Djokovic himself along with his wife tested positive for the coronavirus, due to which the finals of the tournament was called off. BCCI Treasurer, Arun Dhumal revealed that how this event at the Adria Tour made the board think twice about staging the IPL this year.

Arun Dhumal said, “After that report (about Djokovic testing positive) came in, we were in two minds. Many people told us to not go ahead with it (IPL). What if something happens to a player? The IPL would go on for almost three months. However, Jay said we should go ahead, he was more confident than all of us.”

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IPL 2020 was a success unlike the Adria Tour disaster

Novak Djokovic and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus at the Adria Tour

IPL 2020 was a grand success, that was held in UAE from September 19-November 10. The BCCI revealed that it’s viewership had climbed 25% from last year and there were about 30,000 coronavirus tests conducted. The Indian Premier League was held in 3 cities in United Arab Emirates, namely, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. The tournament was a massive hit and was conducted safely, without any mishaps.

Speaking about Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour, it was completely opposite to the IPL. It was a hastily planned event, and things could always go wrong from the start. Fans were allowed in the stadium, the players mingled, without any social distancing measures, which finally hit them back in the final stages of the tournament, when several players tested positive. It surely did bring with it a lot of criticism cited to Novak Djokovic.

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