Melbourne: Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) chief Todd Greenberg has said that the body is in talks with Cricket Australia in order to organise a chartered flight which can bring the Australian players home after the Indian Premier League (IPL) concludes on May 30.
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday banned passenger flights from India till May 15 to curb the spread of COVID-19 and he also said that the cricketers would not be getting any special treatment as IPL is not a part of Cricket Australia tour.
“One thing I can tell you is our players are under no expectations to look for specific favours. There’s no free rides or any expectations from our players. What they are looking for is the right information so they can plan accordingly,” Greenberg said on 2GB, as reported by Sydney Morning Herald.
“That’s one of the conversations we’re having with Cricket Australia at the moment about whether or not that’s something that’s available to us. We can also work with all the owners of the Premier League franchises who are effectively contracting the players,” he added.
Further talking about safe return of Australian players, Greenberg said: “There’s certainly a conversation to be had about that. They’re not simple things to organise, as you’d imagine. If we can try to find a seamless approach to get them home safely that’s something between us and CA and our players that we’ll work on.”
With the second COVID-19 wave rampant across the country, there have been reports of some foreign players being wary of the situation and how they will return to their respective countries at the end of the 14th edition of the IPL.
But IPL COO Hemang Amin has assured all players and support staff that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will ensure their smooth return at the end of the league.
In a letter to the players and support staff, accessed by ANI, Hemang addressed the apprehension and concerns of the cricketers. He said that the tournament isn’t over for the BCCI till every player reaches home safely.
Following Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to suspend passenger flights from India till May 15, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association had also released a statement, saying they are in regular dialogue with all the parties involved in the IPL.