Aussie cricketers face tough decision over IPL contracts in time of coronavirus pandemic
Big money deals await 17 Aussies contracted to the IPL, starting at the end of this month. But with a travel bans biting and other sports grinding to a halt, whether they get the chance to fulfil them is in doubt.
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The 17 Australian cricketers with lucrative Indian Premier League contracts will have to decide themselves about travelling to the subcontinent later this month in the wake of a new coronavirus travel ban.
Indian officials have stopped anyone other than those who hold “diplomatic, official, employment and project visas” entering the country until April 15 in response to the global pandemic.
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The IPL season starts on March 30 and the Australian players contracted for this season have employment visas organised by their teams.
Players could yet have any decision taken out of their hands with the IPL’s governing council set to meet on March 14 to discuss any necessary measures regarding the tournament.
Pat Cummins has a $3.1 million contract with Kolkata Knight Riders and Glenn Maxwell, who is back in training after an elbow operation, has a $2.2 million deal with the Kings XI Punjab.
Batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner are set to captain their franchises and Aussie one-day skipper Aaron Finch, who will play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, said players were being updated “daily” by their teams.
“It’s a pandemic now and no doubt there will be some restrictions in place for both teams and fans and grounds,” Finch said.
“It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.”
Australian players are on leave during the IPL window and Cricket Australia, which signed no objection certificates for them to play, has little control over their movements.
CA’s medical staff has been dealing with an infectious diseases specialist to inform them on the “fast-moving” issue and any future touring will be influenced by that advice.
The World Cup winning women’s team is due to fly to South Africa on Saturday, and that travel is going ahead as planned.
The men’s team have a T20 series in New Zealand at the end of this month, and two Tests in Bangladesh have been locked in for June.
“We know the destinations that our teams are travelling to in the next six months and will continue to monitor the situation in the regions they are scheduled to visit,” a CA spokesperson said.
“We are adopting recommended sanitary practices to minimise the chance of exposure and providing education to our teams that are travelling.
“We are taking the issue seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.”
Originally published as Aussie cricketers face tough decision over IPL contracts in time of coronavirus pandemic