The Indian cricket board (BCCI) is looking to move Australian players involved in the postponed 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) to Sri Lanka and Maldives before sending them home, Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said on Wednesday.
"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 a press-conference 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," he further said.
Australia has placed a strict ban on travel from India, which is ravaged by the second wave of COVID-19, until 15 May, stranding Australian players in India after the IPL was postponed on Tuesday.
The tournament, which was being held amid the healthcare crisis caused by the pandemic in India, was postponed after multiple positive cases came up within the bio-bubble in Ahmedabad and New Delhi.
On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison backtracked on the possibility of jailing those arriving to Australian shores from India following heavy criticism back home.
Earlier on Tuesday, BCCI had announced the postponement of IPL through a statement. The decision was made after more COVID-19 positive cases emerged in the IPL bio-bubble following those on Monday.
"The Indian Premier League Governing Council and BCCI in an emergency meeting has unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season, with immediate effect," said a BCCI statement.
"The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind," it said.
The BCCI confirmed that all players will return to their families after it emerged that SunRisers Hyderabad's(SRH) Wriddhiman Saha in Delhi and Delhi Capitals' (DC) Amit Mishra in Ahmedabad tested positive on Tuesday.
On Monday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling coach Laxmipathy Balaji and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowlers Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, had tested positive along with the ground staff at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. That forced three teams - KKR, CSK and DC to go into isolation. However, more positive cases on Tuesday made it impossible for the league to continue.
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