Players are expected to make a decision by this week regarding the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Cricket Australia says that they are working with the government and the Indian board on the security measures of the players.
The T20 tournament had to be put on hold last Friday during the peak of violence between India and Pakistan, which had not been seen in almost three decades. A ceasefire was, however, declared over the weekend.
The BCCI announced on Monday that the remaining 17 games are set to start from May 17th with the finale scheduled for June 3rd.
This means Australian players like Cummins and Starc would have a shorter wait time before facing off against South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) on June 11th, which is eight days after the clash against South Africa.
In a public statement, Cricket Australia said, “Having the IPL scheduled to resume on Saturday now allows our players to make decisions individually, and we will assist them if they decide to come back to India.”
“Players who return to the league will need to consider the preparation time for the WTC Final and the team management is ready to assist,” the statement explained further.
“We’re in touch with the Australian government and BCCI in regard to the security and safety measures in place.”
Military hostilities erupted last week as Indian forces attacked nine “terrorist infrastructure” targets in Pakistani and Kashmiri territory after militants attacked Hindu tourists in Indian-occupied Kashmir the previous month.
Pakistan disavowed responsibility for the strike and requested an independent probe. The warring countries reportedly accepted a ceasefire which was declared by US President Donald Trump last Saturday.