Top Indian umpire Nitin Menon and his Australian counterpart Paul Reiffel have pulled out of the Indian Premier League due to personal reasons.
As per the information, Menon has left the IPL bio-bubble after his wife and mother tested positive for COVID-19. He is the only Indian in the ICC elite panel of umpires and was recently praised for his work during India’s home series against England.
A BCCI official told PTI, “Yes, Nitin has left as his immediate family members have Covid-19 and he is currently not in a mental state to conduct games.”
As the Australian government imposing a travel ban from India in the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases led to the quick departure of Paul Reiffel.
“The BCCI already had several local umpires as a backup so they will be officiating in games in which Menon and Reiffel were scheduled to stand,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express. And BCCI is likely to replace Menon and Reiffel with two of its own pool of umpires.