JOIN USNow, Indian umpire Nitin Menon, Australian umpire Paul Reiffel pull out of IPL
India's top umpire Nitin Menon and his Australian counterpart Paul Reiffel have pulled out of the IPL due to personal reasons. It is learnt that Menon, a resident of Indore, left the IPL bio-bubble after his wife and mother tested positive for Covid-19.
Menon is the only Indian on the ICC elite panel of umpires and was recently praised for his work during India's home series against England. "Yes, Nitin has left as his immediate family members have Covid-19 and he is currently not in a mental state to conduct games," a BCCI official told PTI.
In Reiffel's case, the Australian government's imposition of a travel ban on flights to and from India in the wake of the rising Covid-19 cases here led to him being unable to leave the bubble after initial information suggested that he has made the move.
"I tried to, but the flight through Doha, I wasn't able to go through as an Australian," Reiffel told The Herald and The Age on Thursday from his hotel in Ahmedabad.
"They shut the avenue off. I know a couple of the guys got back that way through there, but the avenue was closed so I had to stay. Yesterday, I was booked to go, but it got cancelled," he said.
Reiffel will, therefore, now go back only after the end of the tournament on May 30.
"I was 10 minutes away from leaving the bubble, so I'm very lucky," Reiffel said.
Menon is the second Indian to pull out of the tournament after Indian off-spinner Ravi Ashwin, who also went home after all his family members tested positive.
Three Australians Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa have left home due to the unprecedented health crisis in India.
However, the BCCI is going ahead with the tournament and interim CEO Hemang Amin has assured all players and support staff that they remain safe in the bio-bubble. BCCI is likely to replace Menon and Reiffel with two of its own pool of umpires.