Adam Zampa reveals why he pulled out of IPL 2021

Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa has opened up about his decision to withdraw from the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Zampa, who was playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the time, cited concerns about the safety of the bio-bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic as the primary reason for his exit.

The 2021 IPL season was particularly challenging, with the tournament being played in two separate legs due to the pandemic—first in India and later in the UAE. The bio-bubble environment was difficult for both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the players, who had to remain isolated from the outside world to prevent the spread of the virus.

Zampa, along with his Australian teammate Kane Richardson, decided to leave the tournament midway. Their decision was met with criticism from fans and cricket experts, who were disappointed by the void left in RCB’s lineup, especially with the UAE leg of the tournament still to come.

In a recent interview, Zampa explained the incident that led to his decision. He recalled a moment when a fan managed to breach the bio-bubble security to ask for an autograph. This breach raised serious concerns for Zampa about the safety of the bubble. 

"One day we were sitting by the pool and a fan came to ask for an autograph and the security came running. We thought if it was so easy to break the bubble, this competition would not last beyond this week," Zampa said.

Zampa and Richardson quickly informed the team management of their concerns and soon found themselves on a flight back to Melbourne. Just days after their departure, the IPL was suspended due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in India.

“Let’s just tell the owners what we think about. Luckily we were on the plane to Melbourne via Qatar when Australia was locked out and the IPL was binned four days later," he further added.

Reflecting on the situation, Zampa admitted that he was already exhausted from the constant quarantines over the past year. 

"Looking back at the IPL that me and Kane pulled out of, we had done a week's quarantine into India and putting on the telly and it was the ABC channel talking about the COVID situation in India,"

"We looked at each other and were like "What are you gonna do?" He had a young family and we were pretty jaded from a year-long into quarantine anyway so I was pretty tired,” he concluded. 

Although Zampa was later picked by Rajasthan Royals for the 2024 IPL season, he opted out again, citing personal reasons. Over his IPL career, Zampa has played 20 matches and taken 29 wickets, representing teams like RCB, Rising Pune Supergiant, and Rajasthan Royals.