India players get option to take a 4-day break after England ODIs

Team India players have the option to take a maximum of four days off after the conclusion of the ODI series against England befo re joining their respective IPL franchises for the upcoming edition of the tournament. The fourteenth edition of IPL is scheduled to start on April 9 while the three-match ODI series between India and England will conclude on March 28.

After the end of the series, the players will get an opportunity to stay out of the bio-bubble for a maximum of four days. Most of the Indian players have been in staying in tough bio-secure bubbles since last August. It all started with the IPL in the UAE before Team India toured Australia for a full-fledged series that lasted three months.

Few days later, the players entered the bio-bubble once again for the ongoing assignments against England. Both the teams played out a four-match Test series and then a five-match T20I series which ended on Saturday (March 20). They are now gearing up for the ODI series which will start on March 23 in Pune.

India players must join franchises by April 2:

According to a report in The Times of India, the India players who avail the option of taking a break and leave the bio-bubble after the ODI series must join their IPL franchises by April 2. Not only that, the players will also have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine before they enter the bio-bubble, as per the BCCI SOPs for IPL 2021. On the other hand, the players who will not leave the bio-bubble can directly enter the bubble formed for the IPL.

“Players coming directly from the Bubble created for the India vs. England series, may be permitted to join the franchise squad without serving the mandatory quarantine period, provided they satisfy the criteria of moving directly to the franchise team hotel either in the team bus or on a chartered flight,” the BCCI stated in a note about the SOPs and protocols for the IPL.

“If chartered flights are used then all protocols for crew members must be followed. If the travel arrangements are to the satisfaction of the BCCI Chief Medical Officer then such players will directly enter the franchise team Bubble without the need to serve a quarantine period or undergo an RT-PCR test,” the note added.