IPL 2021: “They are quite clearly shaken by the experience” – CEO on Aussie participation in second phase

IPL 2021 was suspended on May 4, and the Australian contingent finally got to meet their families on Monday (May 31). They should rightly be left alone now, and a decision on their participation in the second phase of IPL 2021 will be deliberated later, Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Nick Hockley said.

Stars like David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, among others, had to stay away from their loved ones for almost two months. They will now spend some time with their families before regrouping again to prepare for the West Indies tour in July.

“Once we get back together as a group, then the IPL is something we’ll obviously need to discuss. Our players returning from the IPL have only today come out of quarantine, so our first priority is to make sure they are reunited with their families, we then have a tour to prepare for in the West Indies.

“They are quite clearly shaken by the experience, and are very appreciative to be back home, very much looking forward to being reunited with family and friends today. It’s a couple of weeks before the West Indies touring party then regroups at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane and then that’s the time to refocus,” Hockley told ESPNcricinfo.

Close to 40 Australians – including players, coaches, broadcasters and umpires – faced a problematic ordeal after the IPL bio-bubbles were hit by the raging Covid-19 pandemic. Since the Australian government didn’t allow people from India until May 15, the entire cohort had to relocate to the Maldives.

After staying there for 10 days and being left rattled on one of those days by a sonic boom, they finally left for Sydney on a charter plane on May 17. There they again had to undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine before finally linking up with their families today.

Also follow: Latest photos and videos as Australian cricketers re-unite with family members

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Doubts over participation of foreign players in IPL 2021 2.0

KKR will be dealt a massive blow with the absence of skipper Eoin Morgan (L) and Pat Cummins (R) [Credits: IPL]

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on May 29 issued a circular confirming that the remaining 31 matches of IPL 2021 will be staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), tentatively from September 17 to October 10.

While the 24-day window isn’t really spilling into any bilateral series, it is understood that the English and Australian cricket boards are a bit apprehensive about sending their players for the second phase.

Australia will play 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs in the Caribbean between July 10 and 25. But being cooped up in a room for three out of four months is no trifling matter, and it would make absolute sense to allow them rest in order to keep them fresh for the T20 World Cup in India and the big-ticket Ashes later this year.

England, on the other hand, have a long summer coming up where they will play 7 Tests, 6 ODIs and 6 T20Is against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India. Additionally, they are slated to travel to Pakistan to play two T20Is on October 14 and 15, days after the IPL 2021 final.

Notably, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is tentatively scheduled to run from August 28 to September 19, meaning the Windies players will miss the initial few matches after the IPL restart.

The BCCI has a tough job at hand in working out the schedules and logistics.

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