RCB chairman claims England, Australia players will NOT miss start of IPL 2020

Australian cricketers will resume their international cricket season with a tour to England next month. The England vs Australia 2020 series will witness both the face each other in 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs, which are scheduled to start from September 4 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. 

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While the series will be played behind closed doors, players from both the teams will be placed inside a biosecurity bubble during the entire duration of the series. Post the England vs Australia 2020 series, certain number of players from both the teams will be travelling to the UAE to take part in the IPL 2020. And in what is a massive update for many IPL franchises, the English and Australian players taking part in the IPL 2020 might not have to undergo a quarantine period upon their arrival in the UAE.

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IPL 2020: England and South Africa players to not undergo quarantine

According to a report in Cricbuzz, RCB chairman Sanjeev Churiwala during a virtual press conference said that that given the England and Australia players will have been part of a biosecure bubble during the limited-overs series, there is a possibility that they may be exempted from the one-week quarantine mandated for all participants of the IPL.

As per the draft SOP, players and the team staff will have to undergo COVID-19 testing on Day 1, 3, and 6 upon their arrival in UAE. If all three test reports are negative, players and the team staff will be given a go-ahead and will be allowed to enter and remain within the biosecure environment for the entire duration of the IPL 2020. The biosecure environment called the 'bubble' is where the players will conduct their training and stay for the entirety of the IPL 2020. After entering the bubble, players and support staff will have to undergo tests every 5th day.

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Churiwala, during the press conference, further said that Australian players, including Aaron Finch who will be playing for RCB, will land in the UAE on September 17, a day after the final ODI in Manchester. If the players and staff have not stepped out of the biosecurity bubble through their emigration from the UK and carry a negative result from a test conducted not more than 96 hours before their arrival in UAE, there maybe rules can be relaxed.

This means that the likes of RCB, Rajasthan Royals, KKR, CSK and SRH, who are heavily reliant on England and Australia's cricketers, would heave a huge sigh of relief as their availability was in doubt earlier for the start of the tournament.

IPL 2020: RCB chairman on availability of South Africa players 

During the press conference, RCB chairman Churiwala also cleared the air over availability of South Africa players for the IPL 2020. Churiwala said that AB de Villiers, Chris Morris and Dale Steyn will reach the UAE on Saturday (August 22), a day after the Indian players land. Recently, reports emerged that two South African players tested positive for COVID-19 during a cultural camp but the aforementioned players were not a part of it.

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IPL dates and timings 

RCB captain Virat Kohli along with veteran campaigners like AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal among others are all set to reprise their roles in the upcoming IPL 2020 season. Coming to the IPL dates, the tournament is scheduled to start in UAE from September 19 and will finish on November 10. The IPL 2020 matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Coming to the match timings, the afternoon matches will begin at 3:30 PM IST and evening matches have been scheduled for 7:30 PM IST.

(COVER IMAGE: ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE / AARON FINCH / TWITTER)