Cricket Australia’s (CA) interim Chief Executive Nick Hockley has confirmed that the quarantine cost of the Australian IPL cricketers has been beard by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Sydney. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season was suspended on May 4 due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases and as a result of that, the entire Australian contingent had traveled to the Maldives due to a travel ban from India.

Forty members of the Australian contingent stranded in the Maldives before leaving for their country on Monday. There were reports of preferential treatment being given to the Australian players who arrived back home from the Maldives but Hockley confirmed that BCCI had paid for the whole operation.

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When asked by The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald whether the BCCCI is bearing the quarantine costs of the Australian players, Nick Holey replied, “Yes.” He also added, “BCCI at the outset committed to ensuring that they got home safely and as quickly as possible. We’ve been working closely with them. They’ve been fantastic. They’ve delivered on that promise.”

Earlier this month, BCCI had said it will do everything in its power to make sure of the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021. Hockley praised the BCCI for doing what they committed and appreciated the efforts of the BCCI.

Nick Hockley said, “The BCCI are fulfilling on their commitments. They’ve made good on their promise and we’re extremely appreciative.”

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Notably, the Australian government had imposed a travel ban on flights from India until May 15 due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country. While over 4lakh people are getting affected, over 4000 people are dying too due to the second wave of the deadly virus as well.