IPL 2020: English and Australian players to miss first round of matches

There has always been a cloud of uncertainty over the availability of Australian and English cricketers from the onset of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). In a recent development, reports suggest that the players will miss the first round of IPL 2020 matches because quarantine protocols in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) won’t be relaxed for them.

England and Australia are currently engaged in a bilateral series of three T20Is and as many ODIs. The tour will end on September 16, just three days before the scheduled start of IPL 2020. Even though all players – who have IPL commitments – will fly out directly to the UAE, they will have to undergo the mandatory quarantine period.

As per current guidelines, any player arriving from overseas will have to stay in self-isolation for six days, while returning three Covid-19 negative reports. Only then can they join their respective team’s bio-secure bubbles. Everyone in the bubble would further be tested every fifth day.

This means that by the team the Aussies and Englishmen complete their quarantine period, every IPL team would have played at least one match. But, it won’t be much of a problem in terms of preparation because they can all hit the ground running straight away. England currently lead the T20I series 2-0, while the ODI series will commence on September 11 (Friday).

Everyone in each IPL 2020 team’s bubble will be tracked

All IPL franchises have begun their conditioning camp in the build-up to IPL 2020. Image Credits: DNA India

However, living in a bio-secure bubble might pose some difficulty because the English and Australian cricketers will be completing almost 80 days in an enclosed environment by the time IPL 2020 ends on November 10.

In addition to nobody being allowed to exit the bubble, everyone’s movements will be tracked and their reports regularly sent to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). BCCI has gone into deals with British firm ‘Restrata’, which has provided contact-tracing electronic badges to everyone in the bubble.

IPL 2020 will be played behind closed doors across three venues – Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah – over a 53-day window.