Chartered Flight To Bring Back Australian Cricketers After IPL 2021 Under Consideration: Aus Players' Union Chief

Indian Board's COO Hemang Amin has already assured the IPL's overseas players that their safe return to their respective countries will be BCCI's responsibility once IPL 2021 gets over on May 30. India's health infrastructure is facing a tough challenge due to lakhs of daily new Covid cases.

Photo: PTI

The Australian Cricketers' Association on Wednesday said that it was considering arranging a chartered flight for the Australian cricketers' repatriation after the Indian Premier League 2021 gets over on May 30, but Sports Minister Richard Colbeck clarified that the move is under consideration and no such decision has been approved by the Australian government.

Head of the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) Todd Greenberg said that Cricket Australia would talk with the owners of the franchise for this arrangement but admitted that it would not be an easy task.

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"That's one of the conversations we're having with Cricket Australia at the moment about whether or not that's something that's available to us," Greenberg said on 2GB radio as quoted by 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

"We can also work with all the owners of the Premier League franchises who are effectively contracting the players. There's certainly a conversation to be had about that," he added.

"They're not simple things to organise, as you'd imagine. If we can try to find a seamless approach to get them home safely that's something between us and CA and our players that we'll work on."

Indian Board's COO Hemang Amin has already assured the IPL's overseas players that their safe return to their respective countries will be BCCI's responsibility once IPL 2021 gets over on May 30. India's health infrastructure is facing a tough challenge due to lakhs of daily new Covid cases.

"Be rest assured that the tournament is not over for BCCI till each one of you has reached your home, safe and sound," the Indian Board's COO Hemang Amin said on Tuesday in a letter addressed to the players.

Any such chartered flight would require the approval of the Australian government and Colbeck said no decision has been taken on this matter as yet.

"There aren't any decisions that have been made yet with respect to (approval for a charter flight for) the cricketers," Colbeck told ABC radio.

"One of the reasons for the pause was to give our hotel quarantine a little bit of space because of the load we've seen out of India," he said.

The Australian government on Tuesday suspended incoming air flights from India besides asking players to make their "own arrangements" for returning back to Australia.