Umpire Nitin Menon Opts Out Of IPL 2021 After Family Tests Covid Positive

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One of India's top umpires Nitin Menon has pulled out of the Indian Premier League(IPL) 2021 and has left the bio-bubble with immediate effect. 

It is understood that Menon's family members have tested positive for the Covid-19. 

"Yes, Nitin has left as his immediate family members have COVID-19 and he is currently not in a mental state to conduct games," a BCCI official said.

Menon is the only Indian umpire to be included in ICC elite panel and has been in the news lately due to his brilliant work in the recently concluded England's tour of India. 

He is only the second Indian and overall ninth participant of IPL 2021 to pull out of the tournament. R Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, and Andrew Tye are the latest others to opt-out. 

There have been reports that umpire Paul Reiffel, too, has pulled out of the tournament but there is no clarity regarding the correctness of this news.