Australia, England and Sri Lanka stars to miss the first week of IPL 2020
Published on: Aug 1, 2020 12:54 am IST|Updated on: Aug 1, 2020 11:28 am IST
With the much-awaited thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League all set to get underway in mid-September, many of the top international players have been reported to be unavailable for the initial part of the tournament.
Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana to join late for IPL 2020
As per the latest news coming from Sri Lanka, their two IPL players Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana are most likely to miss the first week of the IPL owing to their commitments in the inaugural Lanka Premier League.
The inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League will get underway in September and the last few days of the LPL schedule will be coinciding with that of the initial days of the IPL. This makes it tough for players like Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana to take part in the initial part of the IPL. It is reported that no Sri Lankan player will be allowed to leave mid-way for the IPL or any other tournament until the final of the LPL is finished.
The IPL is scheduled to begin on 19th September and the LPL final is scheduled to take place on September 20th. Due to this Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana will only be able to leave for the UAE after the 20th of September. Moreover, they will have to follow strict quarantine of 72 hours after arriving in the UAE, all these will affect their participation in the initial week of the lucrative league.
The absence of Malinga will affect Mumbai Indians’ big time, as their other foreign pacer Trent Boult has already raised doubts regarding his participation in this year’s IPL. On the other hand, Isuru Udana will be hoping to make a statement in his first-ever IPL stint for RCB.
England and Australian players to miss the initial part of IPL 2020
Similar to the Lankan players, many of the English and Australian International white-ball players will also miss the initial part of the tournament as Australia will be touring England for three T20Is and ODIs, with the last match of the series scheduled to be played on 16th of September.
After the series, the players are expected to reach Dubai either on the same day or the next day. On arrival, they will be tested for COVID-19 and will have to follow the SOPs set by the BCCI before joining their respective teams. This entire process will take more than a week and will affect their participation in the tournament during this time.
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