5 South African Cricketers out of CPL due to non-confirmation of travelling arrangements

Rilee Rossouw, Colin Ingram, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi and Rassie van der Dussen, 5 of the 6 South African Cricketers who were set to take part in this year’s Caribbean Premier League, have failed to make travel arrangements on time to reach Trinidad by August 1, when CPL organisers wanted all participating players to arrive in order to fulfil a 14-day quarantine period before the tournament begins.

The mentioned South African Cricketers failed to make it to the UK, owing to flight scarcity, visa requirements and the obligation to receive government permission. Therefore, they could not get on the flight from London to Trinidad, organised by the CPL committee.

The only South African to be available for this year’s CPL is Imran Tahir. The reason behind him avoiding all the hassle of travelling from South Africa to the West Indies is that he has been stranded in Pakistan, while playing for the Multan Sultans in this year’s Pakistan Super League.

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There will be no Cricketers from England in the competition either, with both Harry Gurney and Alex Hales withdrawing after signing for Barbados Tridents. Both players plannedp to play the first handful of games before returning to the UK for the T20 Blast on August 27, but the requirement of a strict, 14-day quarantine period and the competition’s respective dates prevented that from being a realistic option.

South Africa remains in lockdown with all provincial and international borders closed and is expected to only begin easing travel restrictions after the coronavirus pandemic peak passes at the end of September. That means the participation of South African players in the IPL is also awaiting logistical checks, chiefly government permission. Similar permission is being sought for the national women’s team, who are due to play a series in England in September.

While Cricket South Africa will issue its players with no-objection certificates, and does not intend to organise any bilateral cricket during the IPL window, players will need to obtain permits to travel and will need to consider quarantine regulations. The tournament is expected to take place from September 19 to November 8, which could mean that South African players will be required to be away from home from early September until early November, given pre-tournament training and quarantines.