BCCI in talks with ECB for soft quarantine of Indian players: Report

May 19, 2021

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) being suspended indefinitely, the Indian cricket team is gearing up for the tour of England. The men’s cricket team will play the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton followed by a five-match Test series, scheduled to begin from August 4.
As reported by The Times of India, Indian men, as well as women’s cricketers, have been asked to gather in Mumbai by Wednesday where they will undergo hard quarantine for two weeks. The players are expected to leave for England in the first week of June.
While the tentative departure date of the teams is June 2, BCCI is in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as well as the UK government for soft quarantine of players upon their arrival in England.

“There may be a hard quarantine for a few days and then the players could be allowed to train. In Australia last November, the players were in hard quarantine for three days and then they were allowed to train. But the players could not move out of their hotel rooms after practice. Something similar is being mooted this time too,” a BCCI official told TOI.

After reaching England, while the men’s team will head to Southampton to lock horns with New Zealand in the World Test Championship final, the women’s cricket team will leave for Briston where they will play a one-off Test against England from June 16.
“The players who want to avail the charter flights will have to reach their nearest airports by car. Players from small towns have requested the board that they will be happy to travel to Mumbai in commercial flights if they are given business class tickets,” the official added.
The BCCI is keen on players practicing for ten days before playing their first match.
At the moment, given the Covid-19 situation in India, the challenge for the Indian board is how to get all players in Mumbai. Before reaching Mumbai, the players have been asked to get tested as a negative RT-PCR Test report is mandatory before entering the bio-bubble in Mumbai.