WELLINGTON: Most New Zealand players, coaches and support staff who were involved in the suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) will return home on a charter flight on Friday.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said national captain Kane Williamson, Black Caps team-mates Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner and team physiotherapist Tommy Simsek will remain in a secure bubble in the Indian capital Delhi before flying to London on May 11. An exemption to travel to England could not be obtained before that date.

New Zealand-based members of the New Zealand squad will fly to England on May 16 and 17 for a two-Test series and to play India in the final of World Test Championship. They will be joined by Williamson, Jamieson, Santner and Simsek once their isolation is completed.

Fast bowler Trent Boult, who is also in the Test squad, has been given permission by NZC to join the rest of the cohort on Friday’s flight to New Zealand.

“Trent Boult will return home briefly to see his family before reconnecting with the test squad in early June, possibly in time to be picked for the second test against England but certainly in time for the (World Test Championship) final,” the NZC said in a statement.

The IPL was suspended on May 4 after players or staff in at least three of the eight competing franchises tested positive for the coronavirus which has swept through India in recent weeks. More than 300,000 new cases per day have been recorded and the Indian health service is under severe strain.

Heath Mills, head of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association, said the New Zealand players were eager to leave India as soon as possible. But they, along with other overseas players, have had difficulty finding flights home or to other destinations.

IPL officials and the Board of Control for Cricket in India have worked to find places for overseas players on charter flights or scheduled commercial flights.

“We’ve worked closely with the BCCI and the IPL franchises on the various departure strategies and were very appreciative of their support during what is, clearly, a very challenging time,” NZC chief executive David White said. “We are also very grateful to the England and Wales Cricket Board for accommodating the early arrival of the four members of the test squad currently in India.”

White said the New Zealand players would have Covid-19 tests prior to departure.

Meanwhile, the IPL’s Australian cohort is headed for the Maldives after the tournament’s abrupt suspension, said Sourav Ganguly, the chief of the Indian cricket board.

“They will all be fine. They are all looked after and they will all reach home,” former India captain Ganguly told Thursday’s Indian Express newspaper. “The Australians will reach the Maldives tomorrow, finish their quarantine and then reach Australia safely. So I don’t see any issue.”

In a joint statement, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association confirmed their players were en route to the Maldives and thanked the BCCI for arranging their travel.

Australia has banned travellers from India, even its own citizens, until May 15.

“CA and the ACA will work closely with the BCCI to ensure Mike’s safe return to Australia when it is safe to do so,” the Australian board added.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2021