Bio-secure bubbles – Here's how IPL players will be staying safe during the pandemic

• Adopting the same methodology used by the England Cricket Board recently, IPL players will be living within bio-secure bubbles.
• A bio-secure bubble simply refers to an environment that is being created by completely cutting off the outside world.
• Strict action will be taken against those who do break the rules as it will risk the safety of all.

Traditionally held in April-May, this year the COVID-19 pandemic led to India’s cricket extravaganza being delayed by five months. After an excruciating wait, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin on September 19. Due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, the IPL has also shifted its home base and will be held in the UAE.

But with the pandemic in mind, safety has become the topmost priority for all. And adopting the same methodology used by the England Cricket Board recently, IPL players will be living within bio-secure bubbles.

The biosecure bubbles for the IPL will be created by the same company that did it for the ECB – Restrata. According to reports, Restrata even beat Indian conglomerate Tata Group for the bid as the latter had asked for almost double the money. Restrata would be tracking all the players through an app or a finger ring with a chip, reports suggest.

And before you imagine a huge futuristic bubble inside which the players will be staying - well, no. That is not what it is.

What is a bio-secure bubble?

A bio-secure bubble simply refers to an environment that is being created by completely cutting off the outside world. So, for the IPL players and crew, travel will be very strictly limited to only the cricketing venue, the hotel they are staying in, and a few other places. No visitors from outside the bio-secure environment will be allowed to enter and even cricketers won’t be allowed to leave the space.

It also means that strict action will be taken against those who do break the rules, as it puts everyone's safety at risk. England bowler Jofra Archer, who will be playing with Rajasthan Royals, had to stay away from a match during the recent England vs West Indies test series for having breached the bio-secure bubble. He had to be immediately quarantined.



The pandemic impact: Living in a bio-secure bubble

Several cricketers have also said that life within a bio bubble isn’t that easy. Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan even said that it feels like living inside a Big Boss house. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli spoke about the importance and need to accept these restrictions put in place for the safety of the players. “We are all here to play cricket...The bio-bubble needs to be respected at all times for the tournament to happen eventually. We are not here to have fun and roam around and you know that ‘I want to hang out in Dubai’. That is not the time we are living in,” he had said.

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