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.
