'Warner will play if IPL is on', says his manager
David Warner is likely to feature in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League despite the coronavirus scare. According to his manager, Warner is planning to participate if India's cash-rich league commences as per the revised schedule. In the wake of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), which has claimed over 9,000 lives, the 13th season of IPL was postponed from March 29 to April 15.
Warner's participation depends upon the fate of IPL
"If the IPL is on, David Warner's planning on going. If things change dramatically, which can happen in the space of an hour, the answer is you change your mind. It's no different to everybody else," Erskine was quoted as saying by The Age.
The participation of Australian players is still in jeopardy
While several Australian players are supposed to play in the mega T20 event, Cricket Australia is still reviewing whether to give the players a green signal. Besides, the new travel restrictions (Level 4) imposed by the Australian government further put participation in doubt. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday declared a "human biosecurity emergency" to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.
Coronavirus outburst postponed IPL 2020 till April 15
The Indian government earlier imposed travel restrictions, which meant that the overseas players will not be available till April 15. This led to the postponement of IPL 2020. According to Sourav Ganguly, there is a possibility of having the tournament truncated. There were also talks that the upcoming edition could follow the model of IPL 2009, which was wrapped up inside 37 days.
Cummins was the most expensive buy of IPL 2020
Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins fetched the highest bid in the IPL 2020 auction when Kolkata Knight Riders bought him up for Rs. 15.5 crore. Maxwell was purchased by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs. 10.75 crore, while Mumbai Indians picked up Nathan Coulter-Nile for Rs. 8 crore. David Warner and Steve Smith were earlier retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals respectively.
