BENGALURU: As the teams started reaching the UAE to start training camps ahead of the IPL starting on September 19, there were contradictory statements regarding the quarantine period for foreign players. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals gave different versions, especially about players from England and Australia.
Players from these two countries will be involved in a limited-over series in England, which ends on September 16. The franchises will fly them over the next day. Question is, what happens after that. According to RCB, these players won’t have to go into quarantine, since they will be coming from a bio-secure environment. CSK officials said they will follow the rule in UAE. Delhi Capitals informed players will quarantine for a week.
The IPL schedule is yet to be released, but all eight teams will have matches in the first three or four days. If the 29 English and Australian players have to be quarantined for a week, they are unlikely to be available for their first matches at least. Players arriving from the Caribbean Premier League may not face this problem because that tournament ends on September 10.
“The BCCI SOP clearly says players can participate without quarantine, provided they satisfy certain very stringent conditions. After players (of England, Australia) have played the series, they have to continue to be in the bio-secure bubble. From that, they have to go straight to a chartered flight without getting into extensive migration procedures, without getting in touch with the public. The BCCI is working to ensure that can be done,” said RCB chairman Sanjeev Churiwala.
Of the 21 players in the Australia squad for the England series, 12 will fly to the UAE. Even if the six-day quarantine is relaxed, players have to clear tests on arrival in the UAE. “They have to go through the testing procedure before they participate,” added Churiwala. Delhi Capitals are preparing for something different. “They (Australian, English players) fly in and get the mandatory tests plus quarantine done. Only then can they step out. A week’s quarantine is the scheduled timeframe.
Teams have been requesting for a shorter quarantine, but we are not aware of rules being relaxed,” said a spokesperson. A CSK official said they would follow the quarantine rules in place in the UAE. Teams landing in the UAE will undergo a week of quarantine before starting their three-week camps from August 29. They will be based in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
There are dedicated hotels for each team and the bio-secure bubble will include hotel and travel to training and matches. Nothing outside this environment is permitted. “The hotel we have shortlisted has made some unique requirements available to us. A complete block dedicated to us, with 150 rooms. No outsider is allowed in that block. Exclusive facilities are provided, including gym, conference rooms and others required for the team and support staff,” Churiwala added.