Australians ‘anxious’ for safe return from IPL

Australians involved in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are “anxious” about how they will get home as Covid-19 cases continue to surge in India, the head of the players’ union said yesterday.

Three players have pulled out of the IPL but two remain stranded following Australia’s decision to suspend flights from India until May 15.

Nearly 40 Australians, including coaches and commentators, remain involved in the IPL, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison said they would not be shown preferential treatment whenever repatriation flights resume.

“As you’d imagine, they’re all pretty anxious,” Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Todd Greenberg told Sydney radio station 2GB. “They’re in probably one of the biggest hotspots that we’ve seen since Covid so we’re just trying to make sure that they’re all safe and secure and they can fulfil their commitments and ... we can get them home as soon as we can.

“Our players are under no expectations for looking for specific favours. There’s no free rides.

“What we’re trying to do is work really closely with Cricket Australia and with government, just trying to get all the right information so we can fill them with some confidence that they will be taken care of at the right time.”

The death toll had reached almost 200,000 by yesterday but the IPL is ploughing on despite the health crisis.

Former Australia fast bowler Andrew Tye, who was with the Rajasthan Royals, flew to Sydney on Sunday via Mumbai and Doha.

Tye’s compatriots Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, teammates for Royal Challengers Bangalore, had been unable to exit India, Greenberg confirmed. “They’re in a difficult position so we’ve got to try to find out some more information this morning,” he said.

The regular IPL season ends on May 23, with playoffs to follow before the final due to take place on May 30 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.