West Indies players in IPL are back home: CWI CEO Johnny Grave

All the Caribbean players, who participated in the currently postponed Indian Premier League, have reached home following concerted efforts by the BCCI and their respective franchises, Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave has said.

The IPL had to be postponed on May 4 after multiple COVID-19 cases came to light inside the tournament’s bio-bubble which wasn’t as foolproof as the last edition in the UAE.

Top West Indies players like their white-ball captain Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, and Fabien Allen were a part of the league. In all, nine West Indies cricketers competed in the event.

“Our IPL players, along with the West Indians who were part of the TV production, are now safely back in the Caribbean. We are grateful to the BCCI and IPL Franchises for arranging their safe travel back to the Caribbean so quickly,” Cricket West Indies tweeted.

Save for COVID-19 affected duo of CSK batting coach Michael Hussey and Kolkata Knight Riders’ New Zealand batsman Tim Seifert, all the foreign players and support staff have left the Indian shores.

All the Australians, along with a few New Zealanders, are currently in Maldives waiting for their onward journey after serving out quarantine. Australia has imposed a ban on flights from India till May 15 because of the COVID case surge there.

This was the reason why players from Down Under had to fly to Maldives for their quarantine instead of heading home directly.