'Let’s see if the IPL gets cancelled like the last Test' - Michael Vaughan's sly dig at IPL after T Natarajan tests positive

Michael Vaughan has taken a shot at the Indian Premier League once again. Since the cancellation of the fifth Test between England and India, which was supposed to be played between September 10 and 14 in Manchester, Vaughan has pointed fingers at the IPL. The former England skipper has been quite vocal about his thoughts, claiming that it was the IPL that can be blamed for the departure of the Indian players without playing in Manchester. 

On Wednesday, September 22, a COVID scare hit the camps in the IPL. Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer T Natarajan tested positive. Six people were noted as close contacts of Natarajan, among those were Vijay Shankar and five other members of the SRH staff. This sent shockwaves inside the league and also created a situation where the match could’ve been delayed. 

However, it was informed that the match on September 22 between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals would go ahead as scheduled without any change. In the first leg as well, COVID-19 scare led to postponing of matches, before BCCI decided to call off the tournament. In this moment of absolute chaos in Dubai, Vaughan took to Twitter taking a sly dig at the cash-rich league. 

Michael Vaughan continues his blame game towards IPL 

“Let’s see if the IPL gets canceled like the last Test !!!!! I guarantee it won’t be,” Vaughan tweeted, replying to a story by Cricbuzz which mentioned the news of Natarajan testing positive with COVID. It was also reported that none of the players in the SRH camp, apart from Natarajan, have been tested positive for the virus. The six members who are in isolation at this moment have also not been tested positive. 

Let’s see if the IPL gets cancelled like the last Test !!!!! I guarantee it won’t be … #OnOn https://t.co/HV7V70i69x

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) September 22, 2021

Among the close contacts, it is understood that Vijay Kumar (Team Manager), Shyam Sundar J (Physiotherapist), Anjana Vannan (Doctor), Tushar Khedkar (Logistics Manager), and Periyasamy Ganesan (Net Bowler), all have been placed in isolation. The tests were conducted early morning on Wednesday but have only produced Natarajan to be positive. 

How will this affect the tournament and its proceedings, only time will tell. There has been no attempt by the teams or BCCI to downplay the incident, but the fact that tonight’s clash is set to go ahead looks a bit concerning, given how things have panned out in the past.