Australian cricketers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, who had opted out of the Indian Premier League citing personal reasons, will be flying back to their country on Tuesday night via Doha. The two are currently in Mumbai while their franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore has moved to Ahmedabad, where it is currently facing Delhi Capitals tonight. Already, Rajasthan Royals pacer Andrew Tye has exited the country due to the COVID-19 surge. "They (the duo) will be flying back to Australia via Doha later tonight," a well-placed source told PTI.
Australia on Tuesday suspended flights from and to India till May 15 because of the pandemic's second wave that is ravaging the country.
As of now, the IPL still has 14 Australian players, including big names like Steve Smith (Delhi Capitals), David Warner (SunRisers Hyderabad) and Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders).
Ricky Ponting (DC) and Simon Katich (Royal Challengers Bangalore) are among the high-profile Australian coaches, while iconic former players such as Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee and Lisa Sthalekar are part of the tournament's commentary team.
The eight-team event is being played in front of empty stands across six venues and has even barred food from outside the designated team hotels in its latest diktats to strengthen the bio-bubble.