IPL 2020: England and Australia players can play first game, says KKR CEO

Dubai - KKR have three players who are playing in England-Australia limited-overs series

Players from England and Australia coming for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will be available for selection for the Kolkata Knight Riders' first game, Venky Mysore, team's CEO said.
According to KKR CEO, England and Australia players would not have to undergo the IPL's mandatory six-day quarantine given they are travelling from one bio-secure bubble into another. That means those travelling to Dubai will be available to their teams from day one - Dubai has no mandatory quarantine period unless the person tests positive.
KKR, team based in Abu Dhabi, players need to quarantine for six days but even by that timeframe, they should be available for side's first match on September 23. The players will all be flown into the UAE on September 17 - a day after the England-Australia series ends - on a chartered flight.
"While they are still negotiating with the authorities, we are reconciled to the fact that we may have to quarantine our three players," ESPNcricinfo quoted Mysore as saying.
"They arrive on September 17, but our first game is on September 23, by which time they would've finished their (six-day) quarantine. So it's worked out well, and it's good for the tournament," he added.
KKR have three players who are playing in England-Australia limited-overs series - England captain Eoin Morgan, batsman Tom Banton and Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins.
To give credit to IPL, they took it very constructively and they have a written Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for that, which says if you're coming from a bubble to another bubble, you don't need the mandatory quarantine period," he added.
Earlier, an IPL official said that the fact that Restrata was handling the bio-bubbles in both the UK and UAE could further work in favour of the English and Australian players and help them get onto the ground without having to go for the six-day quarantine. 
 

• IPL 2019