IPL will be discussed later, first priority is to make sure they are reunited with families: Hockley
May 31, 2021
Sydney [Australia], May 31 : Cricket Australia's (CA) chief executive Nick Hockley on Monday said that the board's first priority is to ensure that the players are reunited with their families and a call on their participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 resumption will be taken later.
"Once we get back together as a group that 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," ESPNcricinfo quoted Hockley as saying.
Australian players got out of their mandatory quarantine on Monday and they have finally linked up with their families. The IPL was suspended on May 4, and then the contingent headed to the Maldives, and spent a further 14 days in quarantine in Sydney.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced it will complete the remaining matches of the IPL in UAE. In an official release, the board said that the decision to move the tournament to UAE has been taken considering the monsoon season in India in the months of September-October.
"They are clearly quite 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," said Hockley.
When asked about the vaccination of Australian cricketers, Hockley said: "We really welcomed the government announcements that people with exemptions to leave Australia for work will be eligible for the vaccine. Now once the players are out of quarantine we will be working to offer them vaccinations before heading off to the West Indies."
BCCI while finalising the September-October window for the completion of this edition of the IPL, during the virtual Special General Meeting (SGM), also decided it will keep a window till around July before taking a call on the availability of foreign players.
Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments in the meeting said the state associations were informed that discussions will be had with all the foreign boards and a decision will be taken around July on whether foreign players will be available or if there will be need for replacement players to come in.
"The board has decided to discuss the issue with all the foreign boards involved over the next few weeks and will also give them adequate time to discuss the matter internally and inform the BCCI on whether players can be made available for the resumption of the 14th edition of IPL in UAE in September. The Indian board will wait till around July before taking the next set of decisions on player availability," the source explained.
