Dubai: England and Australia players will be available from the first match of the IPL 2020 in the UAE following a modification in the Standard Operating Procedure of the Indian cricket board, according to Jake Lush McCrum, the COO of Rajasthan Royals.
In an interview with Indian news agency ANI, Lush McCrum said: “The BCCI protocols have actually been updated in the last few days and I’m pleased to say our English and Australian stars playing in the series pre-IPL should be available for our first IPL match. Either way, we have a quality squad with the depth to manage any situation.”
“The English and Australian players will be competing against each other in a high-quality series right before the IPL which has many positives, the most important being it will enable them to be at full match fitness. I’m sure they will hit the ground running in the UAE for the IPL,” he added.
Royals have the most number of England and Australia players in their squad, with Steve Smith leading the franchise. Several star players such as Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer are also a part of the team.
England and Australia are slated to square off in three T20Is and three ODIs, beginning September 4 and the availability of players from both sides for the first few matches of the IPL was in question earlier.
The bilateral series will get over on September 16, and earlier the BCCI had indicated to franchises that it was unlikely to relax the mandatory seven-day quarantine period that players had to undergo after arriving in the UAE.
McCrum also shed light on how the process will unfold if a player ends up testing positive for coronavirus during the tournament. The Rajasthan Royals COO spoke about the COVID Task Force that has been set up by the franchise.
“Suspected or positive cases will immediately be isolated from the team and the case will be managed by the team doctor in accordance with the IPL medical team. Contract tracing will begin immediately. The BCCI has put together a list of accredited hospitals that will be fully equipped to handle all such cases. All cases will however be treated as per set guidelines and protocols of the UAE government,” McCrum added.
