Australians advised not to venture alone during IPL

After threat from right-wing party Shiv Sena, Australian cricketers have been advised not to venture out of their hotels alone or wear national uniforms and other clothing identifying their nationality during their participation in the IPL.

After threat from right-wing party Shiv Sena, Australian cricketers have been advised not to venture out of their hotels alone or wear national uniforms and other clothing identifying their nationality during their participation in the IPL.

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The same advise has also been given to the Australian hockey team, which will be soon in New Delhi to compete in the World Cup, starting February 28.

Bal Thackerey-led Shiv Sena had threatened that they will not let Australian cricketers play in Mumbai and Nagpur, venues for IPL matches, in the wake of attacks on Indians Down Under.

Bob Nicholls, the Australian chief of security for the IPL, said they were satisfied with the security arrangements.

“However,” he added, “the times that we would be most concerned about is when they are out and about on their own, we will be giving them a list of dos and don'ts. The same advice has been given to the Australian hockey team [for the World Cup]," Nicholls was quoted as saying by The Age.

The Australian participation in the IPL is almost certain as an agreement between the Twenty20 league organisers and the players' union over security arrangements looks imminent. The Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) said the players' body was close to being handed security plans, allowing it to go on with the process of assessing safety.