IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians opener Chris Lynn reveals players to get COVID-19 vaccine next week, will BCCI vaccinate even foreign players?

Mumbai Indians opener Chris Lynn dropped a virtual ‘bomb’ on Tuesday (April 27) when he revealed in an interview to Australian website that all cricketers in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 are going to be vaccinated for COVID-19 next week. It was a shocking revelation from the Australian big-hitting opener coming a day after Australian players’ exodus led by Rajasthan Royals’ Andrew Tye followed by Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa of Royal Challengers Bangalore – all of whom went back to Australia citing ‘personal reasons’ due to rising COVID-19 cases in India.

"I know there are people worse off than us. But we are going from a really tight bubble and are getting vaccinated next week so hopefully the government will let us get home on a private charter,” Lynn, who played the IPL 2021 opener against RCB, told News Corp media.

“I texted back that as Cricket Australia make 10 per cent of every IPL contract was there a chance we could spend that money this year on a charter flight once the tournament is over?

"We are not asking for shortcuts and we signed up knowing the risks. But it would be great to get home as soon as the event is over,” Lynn added.

India recorded 352,991 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, placing further strain on an already overwhelmed health system. From May 1, India will start the third phase of vaccination for Indian citizens where anyone above the age of 18 will be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccination. However, the Indian government has made it clear that there would be ‘no walk-in registration for vaccine’.

The registration for the same will start from Wednesday (April 28)  on the government’s online Co-WIN portal and its Aarogya Setu app. Ahead of the vaccination, the Union Health Ministry secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote in a letter to the state authorities highlighting the strategy and rules for the third phase of the vaccination drive.

Bhushan said each private CVC must declare on CoWIN, the vaccine type(s), the stocks of vaccines and the prices decided by it to be charged from the citizens, for vaccination services being offered from May 1.

Even if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decides to vaccinate cricketers taking part in IPL 2021, will the richest cricket body in the world be allowed to offer precious COVID-19 vaccination to foreign nationals as well? Lynn may well be under some misconception that all IPL cricketers are getting vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that Australia will pause all commercial flights from India till May 15.