IPL: Ravichandran Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson & Andrew Tye leave amid Covid-19 concerns

Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have joined fellow Australian Andrew Tye in ending their Indian Premier League (IPL) season early to return home.

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, 34, also said he is taking a break from the IPL to support his family.

The news comes as India struggles with a surge in coronavirus cases.

Tye, who was with Rajasthan Royals, flew to Sydney on Sunday, citing the “stress of bubble life” and concerns about borders closing in Australia.

“I just thought I should try and get on the front foot and get home before I got locked out of the country,” the seamer told Australian radio station SEN.

Tye, 34, who flew home via Mumbai and Doha, added: “There’s definitely concerns. A lot of guys have been in touch once they’ve realised I was leaving.

“Some of the guys are very interested in what route I took home and how I approached it.”

India has been reporting more than 300,000 cases for days, setting new daily global records.

On Monday, it had the highest number of daily coronavirus cases for a fifth straight day, reporting 352,991 new infections and another 2,812 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

Royal Challengers Bangalore said on Monday that leg-spinner Zampa, 29, and fast bowler Richardson, 30, will be unavailable for the rest of the IPL season and were returning to Australia for “personal reasons”.

A statement added: “Royal Challengers Bangalore management respects their decision and offers them complete support.”

A number of Australia’s top players remain in India, including batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner, and paceman Pat Cummins.

Australia has avoided the worst of Covid-19 by closing its borders and installing snap lockdowns – such as a three-day lockdown in Perth, announced before the weekend – when cases of community transmission occur.

Agencies