Reports | Franchises create Whatsapp groups to clarify player doubts about IPL future

With the future of the thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) hanging by a thread, uncertainty has started looming amongst the players, who are anxious about whether the competition will go ahead.

Players around the world, who have been constantly exposed to various reports, are said to have been pinging the franchises in order to get clarity over the future of the tournament. In order to curb the spread of misleading information, the franchises have resorted to creating Whatsapp groups to clear the air. Earlier, the likes of Aaron Finch and Kane Richardson, too, had revealed that they were waiting for an official word from their teams on the situation.

“Numerous theories in the media has also not helped. So, it was decided to create a WhatsApp group so that their queries can be answered without any confusion,” a franchise official was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“See, you do realise that for players, it is all about going out onto the field and performing. Critics can talk about the money factor and stuff, but it is very difficult for cricketers to be sitting at home and not being sure when they will be back on the ground and if at all the IPL will happen this year.”

Another official opined that the franchise, as a whole, would benefit if everyone in the club - be it the players or the management or the coaching staff - were on the same page and thus they have decided to provide first-hand information to the team. The official also admitted that the measure was taken in order to quash the rumours and stop the younger players from consuming half-baked information from the outside.

“Rather than listening to people on the outside and getting half-baked information, it is always better that they get the real picture. Till recently we had the youngsters checking if reports that the IPL will not happen this year are true or not. So, it is best if you have a group where you have the management, the coaching staff as well as the players all under one roof.”

Despite the best efforts of the organizers, however, the thirteenth edition of the tournament looks set to be heading for a postponement, perhaps even to 2021, owing to the pandemic situation in India and the travel restrictions that many countries have imposed.