IPL 2021: Not asking for preferential treatment, hopeful of reaching Australia safely, says Maxwell

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 30 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has said that it is hard to swallow what's happening in India as the second wave of Covid-19 is rampant.

The COVID-19 pandemic has gripped India and the country has been reporting more than 3,00,000 new cases every day. This is the most number of cases being reported since the pandemic broke out in 2020.

"There are 5,000 Aussies in India at the moment. We are not asking for preferential treatment, we are just hoping that things can start to take an upside in India and we can hopefully find a way to get home safely. We knew it was getting bad when we came here. We do turn the TV on, news channels showing 24x7. It is hard to swallow. We had at one point, 700 cases in Australia. It's nothing compared to what's happened here," Maxwell told "The Final Word Podcast" hosted by journalists Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins.

Earlier this week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a ban on passenger flights from India till May 15. He also said that the Australian cricketers would not be given any priority as IPL is not a part of the Cricket Australia tour.

"We just want to find a way to go home. The BCCI, both governments can work a solution. If we have to wait a bit longer, so be it but there is a way to get home at some stage. People will have different opinions on how much impact a sport would have in their lives when their family is struggling. The jobs that are created by the IPL right now are keeping people working and going," said Maxwell.

The all-rounder also suggested that the Australian players might travel to England along with the English, Kiwi, and Indian cricketers if the travel ban remains in Australia for longer.

"India and England are going to play in England. Worst comes to worst, we have to wait in England and try and find a way out in that chartered (flight) and get out of India. I am sure a lot of guys will try and put their hand up in trying to do that as well," Maxwell said.

"Once IPL finishes and potentially the bubble will be broken, you don't want to be stuck here, just try and look for the safest way to move on. It's something I floated to my fiancee Vinnie, if things go extremely south, a whole lot worse, what are we actually supposed to do if there is no help? I am sure there will be help from BCCI to accommodate the overseas players at the moment," he added.

Commenting on the bio-bubble created in India for the IPL, Maxwell said: "It's changed pretty fast in India but we have been sheltered well in the bubble. We are not really exposed too much to the outside world. We straight move into the hotel, trying to stick to franchise's business as usual, stick to playing your sport and try and bring some entertainment in people's lives."

"That's probably a situation I will be wary about, making one of these decisions and sort of being stuck. Obviously, the government came and said that they are going to shut borders for people coming from India and that's pretty scary if you are stuck over here. We are just hoping, come May 15, hopefully, things improve and there's a lot of work to do, here in India. Countless people stuck in hospitals needing that extra support, there is a long way to go before it gets better," he added. (ANI)