It is time that the Australian government got involved and told their counterparts in India to either call off the Indian Premier League or at least shift it to a neighbouring country in view of the war currently taking place on the subcontinent.
At the very least, if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants to stubbornly continue the IPL, games should be held in far-away cities from the vulnerable northern and western borders of India, like Calcutta in the east or Chennai in the south.
I have no doubt that almost all of the international players, if given the choice, would want to instantly depart Indian shores for the safety of their homes in Australia, New Zealand, England and the West Indies.
Then, why do they not?
Well, they would not want to jeopardise their international T20 careers by being seen by the BCCI as disloyal mercenaries who flee at the first sign of trouble.
Some players who left India during COVID know that they have been subtly ostracised by their erstwhile franchises – probably on the orders of higher-ups. Indian franchises control the world T20 scene, so the impact on players’ careers will not merely be in future IPLs, but wherever T20 franchises pop up worldwide.
What the BCCI and the Indian government need to appreciate is that the families of the participating players would be in a high state of apprehension, nay panic, at the prospect of their near and dear one stuck in a country where missiles and drones from their enemy are flying around while Indian TV channels are war-mongering, non-stop.
Pat Cummins leading Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.Credit: AP
I can tell you from personal experience that air-raid sirens, blackouts and civil defence drills are a harrowing experience. Amid these, your mental state is bound to affect your on-field performance. You simply don’t want to be there. Indeed, for some, who are close to the end of their careers, the overwhelming thought would simply be “I don’t need this s—.”
Most of the foreign players have not seen war up close. The parents of the Indian players have, as they would have read, heard or experienced the 1971 and even 1965 conflicts between India and Pakistan, from family stories and experiences. Besides, the local players have no options. A safe haven in Australia, New Zealand, or England does not beckon.
There is the possibility that some international players may, by the time you read this, take the precipitate step of flying out of India. Precipitate because I doubt that the BCCI or the Indian government (many a time, there isn’t a great distinction between the two as whoever rules Delhi, controls the BCCI) want them to. Perhaps, they don’t want to telegraph internationally that India is unsafe, currently.
Cricket Australia and the ECB, because of their close relationship with the BCCI are unlikely to publicly call on the BCCI or the Indian government to suspend or move the IPL or allow all foreign players the option of flying home. This is where the Australian government and British government can help their respective cricketers with a unified stand and a co-ordinated public call.
They could in fact be doing the Indian public a favour by demonstrating the sensitivity and gravity of the situation and messaging that it’s continuation could be perceived as prioritising profit and entertainment over safety. I won’t even elaborate on the risk of terror cells being activated and posing a real danger to spectators and players in the course of a game.
Private diplomacy won’t work. The Albanese government has to get on the front foot and publicly call upon its Indian counterpart to encourage all foreign players to return home, immediately.
Get them back!
Darshak Mehta OAM co-founded and chairs The Chappell Foundation and co-founded and chaired The LBW
Trust – of which he is still a Patron. He has extensive cricket connections in Australia and India.
