BCCI postpones Vijay Merchant Trophy due to COVID-19 for second successive year

The fears of a third wave due to Omicron variant of COVID-19 has forced the BCCI to postpone of the Vijay Merchant Trophy, the inter-state U-16 cricket championship.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The fears of a third wave due to Omicron variant of COVID-19 has forced the BCCI to postpone of the Vijay Merchant Trophy, the inter-state U-16 cricket championship.

The fears of a third wave due to Omicron variant of COVID-19 has forced the BCCI to postpone of the Vijay Merchant Trophy, the inter-state U-16 cricket championship.

"The cases across lndia are spiralling and despite being a large number of adults doubly vaccinated, they have still been infected. We have been closely monitoring the situation in lndia and across the world, and it is estimated that the caseload will shoot up in the immediate future if the situation is not controlled now," BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote in an email to all the affiliated units.

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The Vijay Merchant Trophy was scheduled to begin at various venues on January 9. The email, accessed by Sportstar , cites lack of vaccinations as the main reason for the decision.

"The primary reason is that the participants are still not vaccinated and as such, are vulnerable. We must exercise caution and not be adventurous and put the health of our talented cricketers at grave risk," Shah stated.

This will be the second successive season that the pandemic has forced the tournament's suspension.