The Indian Premier League (IPL) Final Date Releases??

 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) starts off on September 19 but for Australian and English players, the wait to participate in the T20 league is likely to last a few more days. A large number players who would be a part of the England vs Australia bilateral series – concluding on September 16 – would need to follow the quarantine procedures set by the UAE government and the BCCI before being allowed to feature for their respective franchises in the IPL.

A report in ESPNCricinfo states that despite moving from one bubble to another, the players are unlikely to be given an exception as far as the COVID-19 Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs) are concerned. 

As per the UAE government's policies, the person arriving in the country would need to undergo a week-long quarantine and undergo testing both before departure and after arrival.

When it comes to the initial SOPs set by the BCCI for the IPL Season 13, each player will be tested thrice after reaching the Middle East - on days 1, 3 and 6. Only after all three test results are negative would he be allowed to attend the team's training session. On top of that, each member of the team will be tested on every 5th day of the week through the entire length of the tournament.

The franchises are said to be of the opinion that as long as the UAE government's rules are followed, the English and Australian players coming in should be allowed to play straight away in the tournament as they are moving from one bubble to another. All they need to do is carry a negative test report from the previous 96 hours and get another one done at the airport. 

As per ESPNCricinfo, however, that isn't the case. The report states that IPL is putting in stricter norms in place in the final SOPs which are set to make things tougher for the late arrivals.

Did CPL 2020 give players exceptions?

The Caribbean Premier League, which starts on August 18, has also had similar questions raised. Answering the topic of giving the exception to players considering they are moving from 'bubble to bubble, CPL's chief medical officer, Dr. Akshay Mansingh, termed it a 'potential threat'.

"For those of you coming from the English tour, I just want to point out the difference between the two bubbles," Mansingh said in an e-mail sent on August 8. "When we went to England, we were coming from countries with few cases of Covid-19 into a country where it was rampant. As a result, all that was done was to keep us safe from what was happening outside, and hence people were allowed to move in clusters and meet in rooms etc.