Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's blanket "do not travel overseas" advisory has put the participation of Aussie cricketers in the upcoming season of the India Premier League - should it go ahead - in further jeopardy.
"The travel advice to every Australian is 'Do not travel abroad'," Morrison was quoted as saying in a press conference in Canberra."Do not go overseas. That is very clear, that instruction. For those who are thinking of going overseas in the school holidays, don't. Don't go overseas."
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The government warning notes,"If you do travel, get professional security advice. Your travel insurance policy might be void. The Australian Government may not be able to help you." While it is an "indefinite ban", the recent and prevailing uncertainty of the situation has created more confusion. From midday on Tuesday, Australians are no longer able to travel to Europe, with an initial EU ban in place for 30 days.
The growing threat of the coronavirus pandemic has crippled sporting events across the globe including IPL 2020 which has been suspended till April 15. Earlier, a directive from the Government of India to suspend all visas, barring a few categories, till April 15 had put the overseas cricketers in a spot of bother.
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Cricket Australia (CA) had then said the final decision, on whether to take part in the IPL, rested with the players and their respective franchises. "The IPL is not affiliated with CA as a separate competition featuring individual Australian players, whose contracts are directly with their franchises," a communications manager with the Australian cricket board had told Sportstar.
Pat Cummins (Rs 15 Crore) headlined the list of Australians sold during the IPL auction last year, with Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell all bagging multi-million dollar deals.
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