There is no clarity over the smooth transition and availability of the Australia and England players for the first game of IPL 2020, Kings XI Punjab CEO Satish Menon said on Monday to IANS.
The IPL-bound players of both teams are playing a limited-overs series in the UK and were expected to join them before the first games of the respective franchises. However, the cloud over their availability still remains with the KXIP CEO’s fresh comments.
No clarity over England, Australia player for IPL opener
“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 told IANS.
Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians are the only two franchises with their base in Abu Dhabi, while the rest are in Dubai where there is no mandatory quarantine unless someone tests COVID positive.
Earlier, KKR CEO Venky Mysore that they will have all their overseas players available for the first game. While KXIP has Glenn Maxwell and Chris Jordan, KKR has Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton, and Pat Cummins to join their ranks.
“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.
KXIP CEO Hopeful of a Better Season
The Kings XI play their first game against northern rivals Delhi Capitals in Dubai on September 20. The Punjab CEO is hopeful of a better show from the boys this season. The last time IPL took place in the UAE, Punjab had a staggering and went on to reach the finals.
“We are hopeful of winning the title this year. The format is one where anything can happen on a given day, so we will have to see how it goes,” he said.
2014 was the best season for Punjab in the IPL as they made the finals under Australian cricketer George Bailey. Glenn Maxwell scored 300 runs from just 5 matches in the UAE that season.
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