In a gesture of leadership, CSK captain M.S. Dhoni has reportedly postponed his return to Ranchi to ensure his teammates leave first. He informed the squad via video conference that he intends to be the last person to fly home. This follows the suspension of the 2021 IPL earlier this week, triggered by a spike in COVID-19 infections.
As the various franchises began to wrap up, Dhoni told his teammates that foreign staff and players should be prioritized for travel, ensuring those traveling from abroad could get back to their families as quickly as possible.
At the same time, eight cricketers from England have already reached London. Due to Australian travel bans, the Australian players are currently staying in the Maldives. On Wednesday, the BCCI helped other international players coordinate their flights home.
A group including Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Moeen Ali, and Jason Roy have arrived in London and are now starting a 10-day quarantine. This follows Tuesday's decision to suspend the IPL indefinitely after the COVID-19 virus breached the tournament's bio-bubble. Additionally, England's captain Eoin Morgan, along with Chris Jordan and Dawid Malan, are scheduled to fly to London within the next couple of days.