The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ensured that the arrangements will be made to send Australian players back home once the Indian Premier League is over.
“We understand that many of you are apprehensive about how you will get back home once the tournament concludes... We want to apprise you that you have nothing to worry about,” BCCI COO Hemang Amin said in a letter addressed to the players.
“The BCCI will do everything to ensure that you reach your respective destinations seamlessly,” the letter further read.
Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a blunt statement and said that the players competing in the Indian Premier League will have to make their “own arrangements” for returning home after the tournament is over.
Australia has suspended all the flights from India after there was a spike in COVID-19 cases until May 15.
“They have travelled there privately. This wasn’t part of an Australian tour. They’re under their own resources and they’ll be using those resources too, I’m sure, to see them return to Australia in accordance with their own arrangements,” Morrison was quoted as saying by ‘The Guardian’.
Mumbai Indians batsman Chris Lynn had also urged Cricket Australia to help the country’s cricketers return back home as the board makes 10 per cent of every IPL contract. Lynn suggested that the money can be used to bring back the players.
“I texted back that as Cricket Australia make 10 per cent of every IPL contract was there a chance we could spend that money this year on a charter flight once the tournament is over?” Lynn told News Corp media.
Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson were the three Aussie cricketers who had opted out of the cash-rich league while as many 14 players including SRH skipper David Warner, DC’s new recruit Steve Smith and KKR pacer Pat Cummings are still part of the IPL.
Apart from them, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting who is the coach of DC and Simon Katich who is part of the coaching staff for RCB are also in India with their respective franchises. Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee, Michael Slater and Lisa Sthalekar are among the Australians who are in the commentators’ panel.
The IPL is slated to end on May 30 while the league stage ends on May 23.