IPL 2021 Suspended: England Players Likely To Be Stranded In India Until Next Week

With the 14th season of the Indian Premier League getting suspended due to multiple Covid cases, the 11 England IPL recruits are unlikely to return home until next week.

This comes after England & Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Tuesday that it would not be arranging charter flights to assist players’ return, leaving the onus on the BCCI and individual IPL franchises to work out the logistics and ensure the safe travel out of India.

“Following this morning’s postponement of the Indian Premier League, we are in close contact with our players and staff in India as arrangements are put in place for them to return home safely,” the ECB said on Tuesday.

“The ECB understands the decision to postpone the competition for the safety and wellbeing of those involved, and thanks the BCCI for its commitment to do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all those taking part in the competition.” the statement added.

While the BCCI has iterated that it will find a way to ensure that every foreign recruit returns safely to their respective countries, the pathway to return isn’t as straightforward.

In the case of English players- Sam Billings, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Eoin Morgan, Chris Jordan, and Dawid Malan- who are currently in Ahmedabad, they will have to endure a nightmarish 16-hour trip to the national capital Delhi in order to board the return flight.

Furthermore, all the IPL players have been told that they will have to isolate for four days and return three consecutive negative Covid tests before leaving the bubble.

As far as English cricketers are concerned, they will also have to spend 10 days in isolation at an airport hotel upon their return to the United Kingdom as India is currently on the Government’s ‘red list’ of countries due to the ongoing second wave.

Also Read: IPL 2021: BCCI Looking At September Window To Hold The Remaining Matches Of The Tournament