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Aussies exit India, England bid to host remainder of IPL

The Australian contingent moves to the Maldives as they await the end of the travel ban on India, while England counties launch a bold bid to host the remainder of the tournament

Mike Hussey remains the only Australian from the contingent involved in this year's IPL to remain in India after the players, coaches, support staff and broadcasters were airlifted out to the Maldives overnight. 

ACA chief executive Todd Greenberg confirmed Hussey had been moved out of Delhi, the epicentre of the COVID outbreak and was "in good spirits".

"The entire Australian contingent is out, except for poor old Huss, who is isolating for a little bit longer back in India. But the rest of them are all out, they landed into the Maldives overnight so very pleased we've got them out safely," Greenberg told SEN radio this morning.

"(Hussey) has been moved to Chennai. They people really taking care of him are his franchise (Chennai Super Kings) who we've been working with over there, and they've been superb actually, as have the BCCI in making sure that everyone has got the right care and support around them.

"His symptoms were relatively mild, he's in good spirits, but he's got to go through the isolation process, and has got to do that in India. In any person's language that is not going to be easy."

The Australian airlift came as ambitious plans for England to act as a stand-in host for the postponed Indian Premier League were initiated by a small group of counties.

The lucrative Twenty20 league was suspended on Tuesday due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in India and, although the global calendar is already logjammed, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is desperate to get its flagship event back up and running.

The PA news agency understands initial contact has been made with the England and Wales Cricket Board suggesting the likes of Lord's, the Oval, Old Trafford and Edgbaston could be possible venues for the 31 remaining fixtures.

The ECB would need to adopt the project and the governing body suggested on Thursday that their counterparts were far from ready to engage.

A spokesperson told PA: "We speak to the BCCI regularly about tours and other matters and we'll continue doing so, but we have received no indication that they are looking for alternative hosts for the IPL at the moment."

The trajectory of the pandemic represents the biggest unknown, though the current course of events in England suggests by mid-September – when India's Test series against England is due to finish – fans could be back at sporting events in big numbers.

That may prove an appealing prospect to organisers, who had to stage the 2020 edition behind closed doors in the United Arab Emirates and would not anticipate big ticket sales if the venue was used for a second time.

Furthermore, the UAE could be needed to host the T20 World Cup in October should India also be forced to relinquish that tournament and over-use of pitches may be a cause for concern.

It is believed the matches could be wrapped up in little over a fortnight if a model of two games a day and three on weekends was adopted, with a 3pm UK start time seen as ideal for the prime-time Indian broadcast market.

While big-name Indian stars, as well as a healthy English contingent, would already be in position, a large number of players and support staff would need to travel should the plan gather steam.

It is hard to predict what travel restrictions and quarantine requirements would be given the fast changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a high degree of logistical difficulty would be expected.

Meanwhile, for the Australian contingent, the Maldives is just the beginning of their long and indirect journey home from the aborted Twenty20 tournament.

Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) confirmed on Thursday night that players, coaches, officials and commentators were en route from India to the Maldives.

Image Id: 7614825A6AFB49E59D7BAC9B09F9EF68 Image Caption: Jason Behrendorff on his way to the Maldives // Instagram

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and franchises are overseeing arrangements for outbound players after the IPL was halted because of COVID-19 cases among players and staff.

The BCCI has signed off on plans for those from England, New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies and other parts of the world to fly out.

However, Australians are unable to return home until May 15 because of the federal government's ban on all incoming travellers from coronavirus-ravaged India.

"I've felt quite helpless and quite detached from it all being kept in comfortable hotels," Pat Cummins told Nine newspapers. "We were playing games and training like every other year. It just felt that I should be doing more for the people around us.

"The IPL in the UAE last year was brilliant, it was really well run, but millions of people were saying it should have been played in India, so what do you do? You can see both sides. They set up this tournament with all the best advice.

Cummins added it was " probably too early to say" if the T20 World Cup should be moved from India later this year.

"It's six months away. The priority should be for cricket authorities to work with the Indian government to see what's best for the Indian people," Cummins said.

"If it's going to be a drain on resources or it's not going to be safe, then I don't think it's right to play it over here. That's the first question which needs to be answered."

The length of the Australian contingent's stopover in the Maldives, where Australian commentator Michael Slater fled to earlier this week, may be determined during a meeting of Australia's national cabinet on Friday.

The worst-case scenario for Pat Cummins and compatriots would be an extension of the ban on travellers from India, meaning they would need to spend a fortnight in the Maldives then a further two weeks in Australia's hotel quarantine system.

But it appears that is unlikely to happen, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison widely expected to end the ban on May 15.

Any Australia-bound charter flight for the cricketers would need to be approved by the federal government.

The slanging match between Slater, whose frustration and anxiety is shared by many Australians involved in the IPL, and Morrison's government continued on Thursday.

"I understand his frustration and I understand his deep concern for the people of India," Morrison told reporters on Thursday.

Greenberg admitted on Wednesday the travel ban had created anxiety among Australians involved in the IPL.

"They're human beings, some of them are fathers and husbands," Greenberg said.

"They're under enormous amounts of stress."

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