The BCCI is very pleased with the way IPL 2020 is going on in the UAE as the quality of cricket has been excellent and fans have been treated to some nail biting finishes including two super overs so far in the competition. While the IPL goes on, the BCCI is also working with Cricket Australia to work out the logistics for the upcoming tour.
Indian Team To Take Charter Flight To Australia
The majority of players who will tour Australia are currently playing in the IPL. The players who are part of IPL franchises who do not make the playoffs and the finals will continue to remain in the United Arab Emirates as the BCCI wants them to continue to remain in the bio-bubble.
When the IPL final is finished on Nov 10, the players will then band together and be put on a chartered flight to Australia. As of now, the BCCI expects players to leave the UAE and fly to Australia on either November 11 or latest November 12. The players on the flight to Australia will not get any sort of break from cricket as the BCCI wants to protect the players by keeping them in the bio-bubble to prevent the chances of any of them contracting COVID-19.
There are a few players who are not in the UAE including head coach Ravi Shastri who will have to fly from India. Some of these players include Hanuman Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara and the support staff who are not part of the IPL. The BCCI is expected to create a separate bio-bubble for this group in India and take them through the COVID-19 testing process. When everything is clear, they will then take a flight to Australia.
BCCI Still Waiting On CA For Itinerary
Cricket Australia (CA) usually has the itinerary ready well in advance when a team tours Australia. However, these are difficult times for Australia as a number of states are battling COVID-19 and hence the itinerary is yet to be finalized.
The BCCI confirmed that they have been in talks with CA and are still waiting to know how long the Indian team will have to quarantine upon landing and which location do they want them to land and quarantine. The India tour of Australia is a critical tour for CA who have lost millions of dollars in revenue over the last 6 months.
Cricket Australia saw the 2020 ICC T20 World Cup postponed due to COVID-19 and don’t want the same thing to happen to the India tour. CA is apparently in talks with different states about getting the necessary permission to host the games but have not yet received official approval.
