What is the status of the New Zealand players after postponement of IPL 2021?

The IPL 2021 postponement due to the coronavirus has resulted in a massive logistical bottleneck. The BCCI is scrambling hard to ensure all the players return to their hometowns and countries safely. The IPL sides, who are based in Ahmedabad and Delhi, will now begin their trips back home. The England players were the first to reach London. The Australian players will undergo a 10-day quarantine in Maldives before they reach Australia on May 15. However, for New Zealand, the situation will be slightly different.

New Zealand are one of the finalists in the ICC World Test Championship. They will face India in Southampton on June 18. Before that, they will be playing two Tests against England. The first Test will be at Lord’s on June 2 while the second will be in Edgbaston on June 10. These two matches will be a warm-up for the main World Test Championship match against India at the Rose Bowl.

Now, according to several reports, the New Zealand contingent in the IPL have made separate plans to prepare for the World Test Championship.

One unit from India, one from New Zealand

There is a total of 17 New Zealand players in the IPL. The New Zealand Cricket Board confirmed with ESPNCricinfo that one group of the England-bound players will leave India on May 11. According to the current UK restrictions from India, the New Zealand players will undergo isolation until May 21. Kane Williamson, Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner will depart and prepare accordingly for the Tests. Physio Tommy Simsek will also be with the Kiwis.

Initially, Jimmy Neesham, Lockie Ferguson and Finn Allen were expected to join them for the Vitality T20 Blast but they will now return to New Zealand. 

The likes of Trent Boult, though, will not be part of the group that goes from India to England. Instead, Boult, who is with the Mumbai Indians side, will depart on a chartered flight from Delhi to Auckland. He will have a brief stay in New Zealand before he resumes training at the high performance centre in Mount Maunganui. Currently, Ross Taylor is training there and he has suffered a calf strain.

Along with Boult, trainer Chris Donaldson will also head back home. Stephen Fleming, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Shane Bond, Mike Hesson, Tim Seifert, Adam Milne, Scott Kuggeleijn and James Pamment will also head straight to New Zealand.

There are not many travel restrictions from New Zealand to England. There is stress on the vaccination for the people who enter England from New Zealand. Travel restrictions imposed by Hong Kong, Singapore and other transit hubs apply to travellers who have been in the UK for at least 14 days before their flight. These restrictions do not affect British Nationals leaving New Zealand.