IPL 2021: WI, NZ members reach home safely; Williamson, Santner and Jamieson head for the Maldives
All West Indies and New Zealand players and members who were part of the IPL 14 reached to there homes safely after IPL 2021 got postponed midway due to the alarming Covid-19 situation in the country.
IPL 2021 had to be postponed due to the deteriorating Covid-19 situation in India. The IPL had to be postponed midway after several players and support staff tested positive for Covid-19, only 29 matches of the league stage were completed.
The BCCI and franchises had a big challenge to send all the players back home safely. It was not an easy task to send foreign players back home. However, gradually all the players are reaching their respective countries. West Indies players have flown back to the Caribbean soil while all New Zealand members who were a part of IPL 2021 also reached their homes.
Cricket West Indies on Sunday informed about the arrival of their players and TV production members via Twitter.
"Our IPL players, along with the West Indians who were part of the TV production, are now safely back in the Caribbean.
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) May 9, 2021
We are grateful to the @BCCI and IPL Franchises for arranging their safe travel back to the Caribbean so quickly."
- CWI CEO @JohnnyGrave
@KKRiders pic.twitter.com/68ftnHRATq
CSK's Dwayne Bravo, KKR's Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, MI's Kieron Pollard, DC's Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran of Punjab Kings took part in the IPL 2021.
All New Zealand members who were a part of IPL 2021 have reached their homes. Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and Stephan Fleming were the last New Zealand members to leave India.
McCullum, Fleming, Kyle Mills, pacer Lockie Ferguson, commentator Simon Dull, Scott Styris and umpire Chris Geffane landed at Auckland Airport at 6pm on Sunday evening.
Earlier, Trent Boult, Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham, Adam Milne and Scott Kugeline and coach and former players James Palmant, Shane Bond and Royal Challengers Bangalore's director of cricket operations Mike Hessen arrived in Auckland on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Kiwi Test team players Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner and Kyle Jamieson have gone to the Maldives. These players will then travel to England for the final match of the World Test Championship and a two-Test series against England.