‘England, Oz players doubtful for IPL openers’

Kolkata: There is still no clarity on whether a smooth transfer of players from one bio-secure bubble in the United Kingdom to another in the UAE will be possible for upcoming the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kings XI Punjab CEO Satish Menon said on Monday.

Fears of England and Australia players — currently involved in an ODI series in England — being held up by quarantine rules in the UAE were somewhat put to rest by Kolkata Knight Riders boss Venky Mysore who said last week that those players will be available for selection for their teams’ opening matches.

Mysore said that there would be no need for them to undergo quarantine, considering the players are travelling from one bio-secure bubble to another.

But Menon is not too sure. “Nobody has any clarity on that yet. The BCCI is supposed to come back on whether the quarantine can be reduced as they are coming from a bubble to [another] bubble. We don’t have any clarity as yet,” Menon said.

The KL Rahul-led Kings XI Punjab’s Australia batsman Glenn Maxwell and England pacer Chris Jordan are currently involved in the series, which is locked at 1-1 with the final ODI to be played on Wednesday.

Kings XI Punjab take the field for the first time this IPL season against Delhi Capitals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sept.20.

“From what I hear from the bubble, things are exactly as it was planned. We have been following the SoP that has been laid out by the BCCI and authorities,” said the CEO.

KKR and Mumbai Indians are the only two teams based in Abu Dhabi with the rest are stationed in Dubai which has no mandatory quarantine period unless the person tests COVID-19 positive.

Kings XI Punjab are yet to win the IPL trophy in 12 attempts, but Menon is optimistic they will break the jinx this time.

BOULT’S HEAT WOES: Meanwhile, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult has said the biggest challenge for him will be to adjust to the extreme heat in the UAE when he turns up for reigning champions Mumbai Indians in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) starting September 19.

Boult was roped into the Mumbai Indians squad in the IPL trade window from the Delhi Capitals in the auctions held last year.

Mumbai Indians take on Chennai Super Kings in the IPL opener at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Saturday.

“The biggest challenge so far has been trying to prepare to come to 45 degrees in the middle of a desert. I come from a very small country, New Zealand which is about 7 or 8 degrees at the moment, the middle of winter,” Boult said in a video shared by Mumbai Indians on their official Instagram account.

“I have played for a couple of other franchises but I am very excited to be part of this Mumbai family,” said the 31-year old.

“Speaking from experience I have played against them a few times. The big challenge that you face when you come up against this side is that they have always been very intimidating. So it’s nice to be on the other end of it and be part of such a cool group,” Boult added.

The left-arm pacer has so far played a total 33 IPL matches in which he has scalped 38 wickets.

Indo-Asian News Service