BCCI wants Indian players to train during isolation period in England, negotiating with ECB for soft quarantine

Both the men's and women's teams will serve two weeks of quarantine in Mumbai before departing for UK.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has arranged charter flights from three cities for the men and women cricketers to assemble in Mumbai on Wednesday (May 19) before departing for the all-important England tour.

According to a TOI report, both the men's and women's teams will have to serve two weeks of quarantine in Mumbai while they will leave for UK in the first week of June.

Since the quarantine takes place in Mumbai, the local members of the contingent will reportedly enter the bubble a week later.

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The report further suggests that the Indian board is still negotiating soft quarantine with ECB and UK government authorities, which will enable the visiting players to train upon landing in England.

The Virat Kohli-led side will play the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand in Southampton from June 18-22 followed by a five-match Test series versus England in Nottingham, London, Leeds and Manchester between August 4 and September 14.

On the other hand, the Women’s team will play a four-day Test match, three ODIs and three T20Is from June 16 to July 15.

"There may be a hard quarantine for a few days and then the players could be allowed to train. In Australia last November, the players were in hard quarantine for three days and then they were allowed to train. But the players could not move out of their hotel rooms after practice. Something similar is being mooted this time too," TOI quoted a BCCI official as saying.

Meanwhile, BCCI is yet to figure out how to bring all the travelling members to Mumbai.

According to the source, charter flights will pick players from Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi.

"The players who want to avail the charter flights will have to reach their nearest airports by car. Players from small towns have requested the board that they will be happy to travel to Mumbai in commercial flights if they are given business class tickets," the official said.

Moreover, the UK-bound India contingent has been asked to bring negative RT-PCR results before entering the bubble in Mumbai. While the board has hired a central agency for the COVID tests, players in small towns have been told to get the tests done on their own and the board will refund the amount.

(With TOI inputs)