Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s interim Chief Executive Officer, has confirmed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is funding the Australian IPL cricketers’ quarantine stay in Sydney. IPL 2021 was suspended indefinitely on May 4 due to covid cases in the bio bubble of four teams.
After the tournament was suspended, the Australian contingent of 40 people that featured in IPL 2021 was flown to Maldives. They eventually got a flight back to Australia on Monday after the ban from the government for direct and indirect flights from India was lifted.
There were also reports of preferential treatment being given to the Australian players that arrived back home from the Maldives, but Hockley confirmed that BCCI had paid for the whole operation.
When asked by The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald whether the BCCI was funding the quarantine stay of Australian players Hockley said, “BCCI at the outset committed to ensuring that they got home safely and as quickly as possible. We’ve been working closely with them. They’ve been fantastic. They’ve delivered on that promise.”
Earlier this month, BCCI had said it will do everything in its power to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021. The Australian government had insisted that players will not get special provisions to return home, citing that players had gone to play in the IPL by their own accord. Cricket Australia has heaped praise on BCCI for delivering the promise of getting all overseas players to their countries once the tournament was suspended.
Meanwhile, CSK batting coach Mike Hussey also returned to Australia on Monday after recovering from COVID-19. Kasi Viswanathan, CEO of the franchise told PTI that Hussey had left for Australia early on Sunday via Doha on a commercial flight. Australia lifted a two-week ban on its citizens returning from COVID-ravaged India last week.