After postponing the IPL 2021, BCCI on Tuesday (May 4) said that it will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in the tournament.
Staying true to the words, the Indian board is working to arrange a charter flight for IPL's Australian recruits, informed Cricket Australia's (CA) interim chief executive Nick Hockley.
With Australian government imposing a travel ban on the COVID-19 ravaged India, the IPL's 40-strong Australian contingent, featuring players, support staff and commentators, could be flown to Maldives or Sri Lanka before getting a connecting flight for home.
"What the BCCI is working to do is to move the entire cohort out of India where they will wait until it's possible to return to Australia," Hockley told reporters in Sydney.
"The BCCI has been working on a range of options. That's now narrowed down to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The BCCI is committed not only to the first move but also to putting on a charter to bring them back to Australia."
BCCI’s decision to postpone the cash-rich tournament came after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in the bio-secure bubble of various franchises.
Asked if the IPL could resume this year, the CA official said it's "premature to speculate on that."
"At the moment, the BCCI is very focused on getting all the players, not just the Australians, home safe."
Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey, who returned COVID-19 positive on Tuesday, will serve his 10-day quarantine period in India.
Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) chief executive Todd Greenberg said Hussey was in "good spirits" despite contracting the deadly virus.
"His symptoms are relatively mild, so he's in for a stint of isolation in his hotel for at least 10 days, but his team have got some really good support systems around him, which is good," Greenberg was quoted as saying in 'Sydney Morning Herald'.
Keeping in mind the current situation, the players will leave in batches.
"This is a two-step process. The first step is getting them out of India and the next step is getting them safely home," Greenberg said.
"We're still waiting to hear what the government are going to do post-May 15 and once we have that confirmation we'll put the next start step in place."
(With PTI inputs)
