Umpire Nitin Menon and referee Manu withdraw from IPL

India's top-umpire Nitin Menon has withdrawn from IPL after two cases of Covid-19 in his family. Whereas Paul Reifel of Australia's attempts to return home were unsuccessful as his country suspended air travel with India. However, he will continue umpiring in IPL. At the same time, match referee Manu Nayyar withdrew from the IPL bio-bubble due to his mother's demise and he too had to leave the league.

 Hailing from Indore, Menon's mother and father are Kovid-19 positive and therefore decided to opt-out of the IPL's bio-bubble (a safe environment designed for players against Corona). Menon is the only Indian on the International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite Panel of Umpires. Their India and during the recently concluded series between England, there was much praise for good umpiring.

He has returned to Indore. He said, 'I have come to Indore due to my father Narendra Menon and mother Geeta getting corona infected. The parents' report came back positive on 26 April and the next day I decided to return. Nitin's mother is undergoing treatment in a private hospital. Nitin said that right now in IPL. Haven't thought of returning. My priority is the health of the parents. Only after his health will I think of IPL. In the case of Rafael, the travel restrictions imposed in Australia in the wake of increasing cases of Covid-19 in India came in the way of which it could not get out of the bio-bubble. Initial reports said that he had exited Biobubble. Reifel said, 'I tried but I couldn't go through Doha. They closed that path. I know some people returned home that way but it was closed. I too had decided to go out, but I had to cancel it. ' Reifel will now be able to return home only after the tournament ends on May 30. Menon is the second Indian to withdraw from the tournament. Before him, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin decided to return home after family members were infected.