Rajasthan Royals (RR) are looking past the quarantine hurdles and weighing in the positives of their UAE-bound IPL 2020 players from England and Australia facing each other in a limited-overs series in the UK just prior to the league's 13th edition in the gulf.
The BCCI's Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) amid the COVID-19 pandemic require each squad member to isolate for six days after stepping on the shores in UAE.
In normal circumstances, a quick turnaround from the series in England, concluding on September 16 before the IPL 2020 kickstarts on September 19, wouldn't have been as much of a problem.
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But given the necessary quarantine regulation, the likes of Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Jofra Archer, part of the Royals' first-choice playing XI, could well be missing the first match of their team's campaign.
Speaking to PTI, Royals' COO Jake Lush McCrum, however, found positives out of this, saying this will allow those players to be in peak match fitness before the tournament in UAE. Especially their captain from Australia, Smith, for whom the T20Is and ODIs against England will be his country's first international assignment post the extended COVID-19 break. England players have been busy with their ongoing summer since July.
"English and Australian players will be competing against each other in a high-quality series right before the IPL which has many positives because it’ll enable them to be at full match fitness," said McCrum.
"They'll be competing at the highest level before the IPL where they’ll be playing against the best players day in day out. They may miss the first match due to the protocols put in place by the BCCI but we believe the protocols are necessary to keep everyone safe," he added.
Players will be required to go through three negative tests on day 1st, 3rd and 6th after their arrival before being able to join their team's bio-secure bubble.
On being asked what actions will be taken if a player happens to turn out positive in one of those tests or even during the sixty-match tournament, McCrum explained the process in detail.
"Suspected or positive cases will immediately be isolated from the team and the case will be managed by team doctor in accordance with IPL medical team. Contract tracing will begin immediately."
"BCCI are putting together a list of accredited hospitals which will be fully equipped to handle all such cases. All cases will however be treated as per set guidelines and protocols of the UAE government."
Royals, in fact, have employed a COVID-19 task force, which will communicate all things regarding the health threat with players and be responsible for the action taken if there is any positive case.
"This team is being led by Anuja Dalvi, the Indian female physio who has international experience in cricket and other sports, supported by team physiotherapist John Gloster and team doctor, Rob Young," said McCrum, adding that finding sponsorship hasn't been an issue either for Royals despite the market slowdown within the pandemic.
"We’ve got fantastic sponsors continuing from last season and have secured some high-quality new partners too."
"We want to maximise our partners' return on investment, while certain partnerships, such as with Niine, enable us to have a hugely positive social impact too," he concluded.
