Australian cricket stars Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa have returned from India despite a federal government ban on travel from the coronavirus-ravaged country.
The Indian Premier League players are reported to have exploited a loophole which allows travellers to side-step the border closure by transiting through Doha.
Watch the Sunrise Hot Topic panel discuss the border loophole in the video above
Newsletters: Our top sports news direct to your inbox. Subscribe now 
Flights to and from India into Australia were temporarily suspended this week as the nation’s COVID-19 crisis escalates to terrifying new heights.
India recorded the worst single-day increase in any country since the pandemic began on Sunday with a staggering 352,991 new cases.
“Today we agreed, in addition to the measures that I announced after the last National Cabinet meeting, to pause direct passenger flights between India and Australia until the 15th of May,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said following a national security committee meeting on Tuesday.
After failing to get on a direct flight before the border slammed shut, Richardson and Zampa are understood to have boarded a connecting flight through Doha.
The pair landed in Melbourne on Thursday afternoon and have now started their 14-days in hotel quarantine.
It’s understood the pair had made the flight arrangements prior to the Morrison government’s travel ban from India.
However Qatar Airways has since confirmed it is not selling tickets from India to Australia via Qatar.
“We can confirm that Qatar Airways does not currently sell tickets from India to Australia via Qatar and we are not carrying passengers on this route,” a spokesperson said.
“We remain in close contact with the relevant Australian authorities to maintain the compliance required with the current restrictions on passenger arrivals from India.”
There are still a number of Australian cricket players and coaches stranded in India, including Steve Smith, David Warner and Pat Cummins.
Stream free on
