IPL could resume as this week - but Australian players might refuse to return over safety concerns
The IPL could resume this week due to a ceasefire in the India-Pakistan conflict - but there’s no guarantee Australia’s stars will be involved, amid safety concerns highlighted from the past week.
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Several Australian cricketers - along with a host of international stars - are considering withdrawing from the final rounds of the Indian Premier League.
IPL bosses are attempting to restart the suspended competition in India as soon as this week though a group of Australians are set to return home today after it was suspended on Friday.
Among the 15 Australian IPL players there were groups pondering whether they should return.
Despite India and Pakistan agreeing to a ceasefire, reports of more hostilities have Australian players concerned the border war is still too dangerous for their peace of mind.
There have been reports of explosions in the border region of Kashmir three hours after the ceasefire.
For many players the question of whether they will return is a matter of cash versus conscience for the mega-dollars on offer are unmatched in the cricket world but the safety concerns are unnerving.
EARLIER: IPL SET TO RESUME AFTER EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENT
By Ben Horne
The IPL is set to restart in India as early as Thursday following news of a ceasefire with Pakistan.
Some Australian stars who were due to fly home from India will now stay, and those who had already arrived back to Australia could be turning straight back around again should they choose to return.
It’s a dramatic 180 after it appeared earlier in the day almost unfathomable the $16 billion tournament could resume in India so soon, especially after news broke of a missile strike on a Pakistani air base which Australian cricket stars had only just flown out of.
However, dramatic news of an immediate ceasefire between India and Pakistan appears to have changed the landscape once again.
It’s understood Australian players were receiving word late last night that the IPL was set to resume in India and possibly within the week-timeline the BCCI had set aside for the tournament to be suspended.
The UAE remains another option to host the remainder of the tournament, but sources last night expected the IPL to now be able to restart in India.
Indian media has reported Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad have been shortlisted as cities to host the remainder of the season – well away from the border with Pakistan.
There are 16 matches left in the season which is due to culminate on May 25.
It’s a tight turnaround for Australian stars who must then jet to the UK ahead of the World Test Championship Final against South Africa on June 11.
Before the ceasefire, BCCI arrogance and a near miss with a missile attack had left anguished Australian cricketers facing a chastening call between cash and conscience.
However, the dilemma of whether to return has been significantly mitigated by the unexpected ceasefire.
A small group of Australian cricketers playing in the postponed Pakistan Super League left on a charter flight to Dubai four hours before Indian forces attacked the military base from which they departed.
Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis and Ashton Turner were on the flight from the military base at Nur Khan which was later struck by Indian missiles which destroyed several homes and created an outbreak of fires.
While the Pakistan Super League has been suspended, the Indian Premier League has been postponed for a week and against all odds, now looks set to resume.
Most of Australia’s 15 IPL players, including the Test attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, were due to arrive home on Sunday.
Many overseas players who have lived through the escalating dramas of the past two months had privately declared they would not return to India if the IPL restarts there, but the goal posts have now changed again.
Serious questions are being asked about why the BCCI pushed ahead with staging the match between Punjab Kings and Delhi in Dharamsala – close to the Pakistan border – last week which was abandoned after air-raid sirens went off in the distance.
High-ranking officials from both teams were both pushing for it to be postponed and moved away from the conflict hot spot and one Australian player in the game privately described the atmosphere as “frightening.’’
It’s understood commentators and the teams were even briefed before the match that there was a very real possibility the game could be cancelled.
The fixture was ultimately abandoned midway through and the undue danger players were placed in may have doomed the entire tournament.
Players, staff and commentators who were there have reported feeling fearful as they were ushered out of the venue with lights dimmed.
Had the BCCI heeded the obvious warnings and postponed the match to another part of India well away from the Kashmir region, panic would not have spread through the entire tournament and it’s possible the IPL may have been able to continue in southern and eastern regions of India.
Instead officials were forced to fly its starts urgently out of the country to calm panic levels and make decisions on how to move forward.
There had been suspicions that the Pakistan Super League has been strong-armed out of plans to resume its tournament in the UAE so that the almighty Indian Premier League can move into Dubai and Abu Dhabi instead.
England had also privately suggested it could rescue the tournament in September this year.
CASH OR CONSCIENCE?: CRICKETERS’ BIG CALL AS INDIA-PAKISTAN CRISIS EXPLODES
By Ben Horne and Robert Craddock
Indian arrogance and a near miss with a missile attack has left anguished Australian cricketers to face a chastening call between cash and conscience.
A small group of Australian cricketers playing in the postponed Pakistan Super League left on a charter flight to Dubai four hours before Indian forces attacked the military base from which they departed.
Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis and Ashton Turner were on the flight from the military base at Nur Khan which was later struck by Indian missiles which destroyed several homes and created an outbreak of fires.
While the Pakistan Super League has been suspended, the Indian Premier League has been postponed for a week and officials are trying, against mounting odds, to refloat it.
Most of Australia’s 15 IPL players, including the Test attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, will arrive home on Sunday.
Many overseas players who have lived through the escalating dramas of the past two months have privately declared they will not return to India if the IPL restarts there which is highly unlikely.
There is a possibility, however, it could restart in Dubai but even that is complex for players.
One player agent said: “If it starts again players face a difficult dilemma because most don’t want to offend their franchises by not turning up which could cost them in the future.
“But they don’t want to go back to India for obvious reasons and if it is held somewhere else like Dubai it is still the Indian Premier League and who knows what Pakistan might do. It’s a worry.’’
Serious questions are being asked about why the BCCI pushed ahead with staging the match between Punjab Kings and Delhi in Dharamsala – close to the Pakistan border – last week which was abandoned after air-raid sirens went off in the distance.
High-ranking officials from both teams were both pushing for it to be postponed and moved away from the conflict hot spot and one Australian player in the game privately described the atmosphere as “frightening.’’
It’s understood commentators and the teams were even briefed before the match that there was a very real possibility the game could be cancelled.
The fixture was ultimately abandoned midway through and the undue danger players were placed in may have doomed the entire tournament.
Players, staff and commentators who were there have reported feeling fearful as they were ushered out of the venue with lights dimmed.
Had the BCCI heeded the obvious warnings and postponed the match to another part of India well away from the Kashmir region, panic would not have spread through the entire tournament and it’s possible the IPL may have been able to continue in southern and eastern regions of India.
Instead, the $16 billion tournament is now in serious jeopardy after officials were forced to fly its starts urgently out of the country to calm panic levels and make decisions on how to move forward.
There are suspicions that the Pakistan Super League has been strong-armed out of plans to resume its tournament in the UAE so that the almighty Indian Premier League can move into Dubai and Abu Dhabi instead.
England has also privately suggested it could rescue the tournament in September this year.
However, even if the tournament does resume at some point away from India, players have still been placed in a difficult quandary.
The narrow escape of Australian stars in Pakistan only adds further complexity to the question of whether Indian or Pakistani cricket should be continuing in this deeply troubling time.
Originally published as IPL could resume as this week - but Australian players might refuse to return over safety concerns
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