Kane Williamson, SunRisers Hyderabad, SRH, New Zealand
Kane Williamson (Image Credit: Twitter)

The rising COVID-19 cases in India have had an impact on traveling conditions as well, as New Zealand has banned the entry of individuals from the country citing the second wave of the pandemic. However, this has put the New Zealand cricket board in a position of concern given that multiple Kiwi players are currently in India for the IPL 2021.

Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson (Image Credit: Twitter)

New Zealand on Thursday temporarily suspended entry for all travelers from India following a surge in COVID-19 cases arriving from there, local media reported. The ban comes after it was reported that 17 of the 23 new COVID-19 cases in managed isolation announced on Thursday had arrived from India. The ban will commence on Sunday and will remain in place until April 28, New Zealand Herald reported.

We Are In Contact With The IPL Franchises And Monitoring Situation In India: New Zealand Cricket (NZC)

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) mentioned that it is monitoring the situation regarding the travel ban from India due to the swell in the recent coronavirus cases and are in contact with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.

Kyle Jamieson
Kyle Jamieson (Image Credit: Twitter)

The issue is that NZC wants to prepare for contingencies if the travel ban is extended beyond the April 28 deadline seeing the rise in COVID-19 cases, as the IPL ends on May 30 and the New Zealand players like Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, and Kyle Jamieson amongst others are named in the New Zealand squad for the World Test Championship final to be played in England from June 18.

“We’re monitoring the situation and are in contact with the IPL franchises to keep the lines of communication open, because the tournament’s due to go for some time. We’re prepared to discuss all contingencies, if the situation warrants. For argument’s sake, if it occurred with one of the test players, it might make more sense for them to continue on to England [for the test tour and world championship final],” New Zealand Herald quoted NZC public affairs manager Richard Boock as saying.

Mitchell Santner
Mitchell Santner (Image Credit: Twitter)

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern too has come out and said the safety of these eight players: Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Seifert, Adam Milne and Lockie Ferguson-is NZC’s responsibility.

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The IPL 2021 begins on April 9 with Mumbai Indians taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai.

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