In subsequence to the death of his mother, referee Manu Nayyar quit the Indian Premier League (IPL) bio-bubble in Ahmedabad.
At the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, Nayyar attended the game between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, which the latter secured by one run.
“It happened last night as she didn’t wake up in the morning. Manu left the bubble and is in Delhi today. We are not sure if he will join the bubble again,” an IPL source close to the match referee told PTI.
Before being allocated to the Ahmedabad segment of the IPL, Nayyar, a former Delhi Ranji Trophy member, had officiated in the Mumbai leg. He arrived in Delhi on Thursday to reunite with his relatives, according to reports. The reason of Nayyar’s mother’s death could not be determined.
Previously in the day, India’s top umpire Nitin Menon withdrew from the competitive league after his family was affected by a pair of COVID-19 incidents, while his Australian colleague Paul Reiffel’s efforts to leave were thwarted by his country’s cessation of airline travel with India.
After his wife and mother tested positive for COVID-19, Menon, an Indore native, left the IPL bio-bubble.
Menon is the only Indian on the ICC’s elite committee of umpires, and his performance during India’s home series against England was recently lauded.