MI vs CSK, 1st Match of IPL 2020: Which overseas players are available for selection?

The England and Australia players have left for the UAE after the completion of the limited-overs bilateral series in England. There was huge confusion regarding the quarantine period of these 21 overseas stars, as they were already coming from a bubble. But as per reports, the IPL governing council has convinced the UAE government so as to give relaxation in the mandatory quarantine period for these 21 players.

Different quarantine rules in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

All these 21 players have left for the UAE and it is reported that all these players will have different quarantine periods. For the players flying into Dubai, the quarantine period is 36 hours whereas, for the players flying into Abu Dhabi, which is a different emirate, the mandatory quarantine period is 6 days. As of now, only the overseas players of Kolkata Knight Riders will be flying to Abu Dhabi and hence rest of the players will be available for training and selection after just 36 hours.

There are six teams based in Dubai and two in Abu Dhabi. Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Royal Challengers Bangalore are all halted in Dubai while Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders are in Abu Dhabi.

Hence among these 21 players, only the KKR trio of Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, and Tom Banton will have to be in 6 days quarantine. But this won’t affect their participation in their first match as KKR is scheduled to play it’s first match only on 23^rd September.

Cummins, Morgan, Banton – All aboard ✅

The last three ? have safely arrived in #AbuDhabi for #Dream11IPL@Eoin16 @patcummins30 @TBanton18#KKR #HaiTaiyaar pic.twitter.com/KnMSI7GiSP

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) September 18, 2020

Which all players will be available for the tournament opener?

CSK CEO (in ANI) said "Sam Curran and Josh Hazlewood will come tonight then they will be in isolation and test will be conducted tomorrow – if they are negative then they will be available for selection in the first match vs MI".

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 17, 2020

The tournament will get underway on the 19^th of September as the defending champions Mumbai Indians lock horns with their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in the opening match. And by the look of the things, none of the overseas players will be missing out. Chennai will have the luxury of availing the services of Josh Hazlewood and young Sam Curran. Whereas the quarantine rules won’t make much difference to the Mumbai Indians line-up, who don’t have any English or Australian players.

“They have undergone one rapid test before boarding (the flight) and will undergo another on arrival. Otherwise, the robust testing protocols will be followed as usual. The rationale behind the move is that all the players are entering from one bio-bubble to another,” the veteran BCCI official said.

For more cricket news, click here.

[show_quiz quiz_id=”22″]