Australian Indian Premier League cricketers leave hotel quarantine

David Warner was among dozens of cricketers released from hotel quarantine on Monday after fleeing Covid-riddled India following the suspension of the Indian Premier League.

Australian opening batsman David Warner has embraced his three-young girls and his wife Candice after spending a fortnight in quarantine.

He was one of the 38 Indian Premier League (IPL) players and officials arrived at Sydney Airport from the Maldives a fortnight ago following the suspension of the tournament due to rising Covid-19 cases.

The Warners, who are very active on social media, documented the morning David was reunited with his girls Ivy Mae, six, Indi Rae, five and Isla, one.

David Warner with family after spending two weeks in quarantine. Picture: Candice Warner Instagram

Warner gives his girls a cuddle. Picture:, Candice Warner Instagram

In a post by Candice on Monday morning, Warner is filmed holding Isla while Ivy Mae and Indi Rae stand by in their dressing gowns.

She later posted a picture of Isla sitting on her dad’s lap.

Hours after being reunited with his family, David hit the golf course to soak up the sunny day while Candice was front row at the Rebecca Vallance show at AfterPay Australian Fashion Week.

She said her husband arrived home at around 6.15am with their three daughters excitedly waiting.

“As soon as they saw dad through the window they ran straight up to him,” she said. “It was such a beautiful moment to finally have daddy here and be reunited as a family.”

The children, she said, were still in their pyjamas.

David Warner’s daughters welcoming him home after he spent two weeks in quarantine. Picture: Instagram

“To have an extra set of hands makes obviously things a hell of a lot easier,” she said. “We live doing things together as a family. To hold my husband’s hand, and to give him a cuddle means everything to us.”

Candice Warner meanwhile caught up with Erin Holland at the show. Holland’s cricketer husband Ben Cutting remains in hotel quarantine in Brisbane until Saturday as he flew home a few days later than his fellow Australians.

The couple have been separated since their wedding in February.

“I’m relieved to have him home,” Holland said. “The first few months of married life have been pretty quiet so I’m glad he’s back in the country. It’s been a pretty taxing time being away in player bubbles.”

With the exception of the week of their wedding, Cutting has been in player bubbles since November.

Elsewhere, former Australian captain Steve Smith was among the first to leave the Marriott Hotel in Circular Quay just before 7am.

Steve Smith emerges from quarantine. Picture: John Grainger

Moises Henriques. Picture: John Grainger

A silent Smith donned a mask as he left the hotel before packing his luggage and sliding into his awaiting car.

The cricket star had his guitar on hand during the isolation period and was seen carrying the case as he exited the building.

Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis had a brief chat and embraced before leaving the hotel. Maxwell remarked that his time in hotel quarantine was uneventful but “great.”

Glenn Maxwell. Picture: John Grainger

Marcus Stoinis. Picture: John Grainger

There were emotional reunions for some, with bowler Pat Cummins shedding a tear as he was reunited with his pregnant fiance Becky Boston.

The pair embraced before Cummins, the current vice-captain of the Australian national team, loaded his luggage into their Range Rover and drove off.

Pat Cummins embraces his pregnant partner Becky Boston. Picture: John Grainger

Emotional reunion … Picture: John Grainger

The players touched down in Sydney on an Air Seychelles flight on May 6 after growing uncertainty about their return when Australia slammed its borders shut to India.

Portuguese-Australian cricketer Moses Henriques and Hobart player Riley Meredith were also seen leaving quarantine, with Meredith saying his time in the hotel was “all right.”

The players’ return was delayed because of the Australian Government’s ban on any person who had spent time in India in the previous 14 days from entering the country.

The cohort’s return attracted some criticism due to the number of Australians who could not get home from India, but Cricket Australia insisted the players did not receive any special treatment.

Originally published as Australian Indian Premier League cricketers leave hotel quarantine