Cricket Australia to support players' decisions on IPL return / Photo: Noah SEELAM - AFP
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Cricket Australia to support players' decisions on IPL return
Cricket Australia said on Tuesday that it was up to its players to choose whether to return to the Indian Premier League and it would "support their individual decisions".
The IPL will resume on Saturday after being suspended since last week because of deadly clashes between India and Pakistan.
A ceasefire was agreed last weekend but by then many foreign players, coaches and officials had left India to return home.
"Following the announcement that the IPL will resume on Saturday, Cricket Australia will support players in their individual decisions whether to return to India or not," CA said in a statement.
The IPL final has been rescheduled for June 3, eating into preparation time for the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on June 11.
Australia's IPL players include Test captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head, who were all named Tuesday in the squad for the WTC final and subsequent tour of the West Indies.
"Team management will work through preparation implications for the World Test Championship Final for those players who choose to play," CA said.
"We are maintaining communication with the Australian government and BCCI around security arrangements and safety," it added.
Hazlewood plays for second-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru who will host defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday in the first match of the resumed tournament.
Starc plays for Delhi Capitals, who can still make the playoffs, but Cummin and Head play for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are already out of contention.
Table-toppers Gujarat Titans began training on Sunday with South Africa's Kagiso Rabada and Sherfane Rutherford of the West Indies taking part, both having chosen to remain in India after the IPL was suspended last Friday.
Indian media reported that Punjab's coaching staff, including former Australian head coach Ricky Ponting, did not leave the country.
Bengaluru is one of six cities that will host the rest of the tournament along with Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
The venues for the playoffs and final, originally scheduled for Kolkata and Hyderabad, are yet to be announced.
The IPL was suspended Friday a day after a match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the northern city of Jammu, where explosions were reported.
A special train was arranged for players to return to Delhi on Friday as airspace was closed, while overseas players began to head home on Saturday.
M.Sutherland--NG
