The last of South Africa’s IPL players will return home on Friday following the tournament’s indefinite postponement due to Covid-19.

The chief executive of the South African Players’ Association (Saca), Andrew Breetzke, says some players had already returned on Wednesday and that others were expected to return on Thursday with the remaining three back on Friday.

According to Breetzke, the players still remaining in India until Friday are all safe and in good health.

Former Proteas captain Faf du Plessis and Gerald Coetzee are among those players who have already made the trip back to South Africa. They, along with all the other returning cricketers, will now need to spend a period of time in quarantine.

This years IPL was suspended indefinitely amid a steep rise in Covid-19 cases both in India and within the players’ bio-bubbles. Cricket South Africa is now assisting the IPL teams with logistics in order to get the players back safely.

Besides the 11 South Africans contracted to play at the IPL, Ruan Jansen and Hardus Viljoen were also in India as net bowlers.

Whereas SA’s players will all be returning home soon, Australian cricketers find themselves in a more difficult position as government regulations mean the Australian border is currently closed to all individuals travelling from India.

Cricket Australia head Nick Hockley has stated that the BCCI (India’s cricket organisation) is busy finalising plans to transport Australia’s cricketers to the Maldives or Sri Lanka so that they can then return home.

This comes following the news that former Australia batsman Michael Hussey has been named as one of those who have tested positive for Covid-19. Hussey has been working as a coach at the Chennai Super Kings and remains thus far the only Australian to test positive for the disease.