As per reports in Insidesport, the BCCI will be creating a separate bio-bubble for the players before travelling to England for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. The final will be played in Southampton from 18-22 June. As per a BCCI official, India women’s team who will play a one-off Test, 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is, will also be kept in the bubble and will travel together with the men’s team.
The IPL 2021 being suspended for the moment has made the BCCI shift all their focus on the WTC final. Both the BCCI and the ECB are ensuring that all safety protocols are taken so that the players of India and New Zealand play the final without any issue.
BCCI is currently negotiating the 14-day hard quarantine in England as India has been put under the red list’ by the UK government. The board BCCI wants the quarantine to be reduced to seven days in the UK. Meanwhile, Team India’s WTC Final squad is expected to be announced on Friday.
BCCI To Set Up Bio-Bubble For Players In India
As per a BCCI official, Indian players are willing to enter a bio-bubble in India to avoid hard 14-day quarantine in the UK. “There are a lot of players who have been in bubbles and quarantines for eight-nine months now. It is likely to take a toll on them mentally. They are fine with getting into a bubble early in India and then the BCCI may offer a bubble-to-bubble movement scenario. But the negotiation will be tougher this time since the team will be leaving from India unlike from Dubai when they toured Australia,” the source told TOI.
“This will also give them some more time with their families. And mind you, there is a long season coming till the T20 World Cup in November. If the IPL happens in the window between the Test series in England and the T20 World Cup, it’s going to be a very long time in a bubble for the Indian players,” the source added.
If the BCCI does manage to convince the ECB on relaxation of quarantine, the players will get together between May 21-24 in India before they travel to the UK.
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