Jhye Richardson reveals mental health struggles amid IPL 2021 pressure

He added, “ Then things sort of hit the fan while I was away, and everything with COVID and not being able to get home and stuff like that, it just toppled on top of each other.” 

The 2021 IPL season was initially scheduled to be held entirely in India. However, after several players tested positive for COVID-19, the tournament was postponed for a few months. At the time, Richardson was part of the Punjab Kings squad. The tournament was eventually rescheduled to September 2021, but the disruption left many players, including Richardson in limbo as they navigated the uncertainty caused by the pandemic and the strict travel restrictions in place.

He said, “ A lot of the judgment has gone nowadays. Within our (WA) group we trust everyone with the way that they want to go about things. People are individuals – they train in different ways, and they think differently. The resources within cricket nowadays make the process of dealing with mental health issues a lot easier and there is a lot more education there. But as someone who has dealt with anxiety, not just on the field but away from cricket and day-to-day living, it can be quite exhausting.”