Tuatara chairman Noel Davies said the pandemic had created a lot of challenges for the club due to ongoing travel restrictions and they didn't want to see their players relocated to Australia.

They opted to make an early call so the ABL could plan the 2021-22 season.

"It is an incredibly difficult decision to come to," Davies said in a statement.

"It really hurt the franchise not playing last season, but in hindsight it proved the sensible thing to do.

"It meant our players were not locked down in Australia and it protected ourselves from financial risk."

Davies said the Tuatara remained committed to the ABL in the longer term and they were in talks about non-competition games against Australian clubs should the COVID-19 situation allow.

Baseball Australia president David Hynes was supportive of Auckland's decision.

"Auckland Tuatara are a very key part of the ABL and we would love for them to have been able to play this season," Hynes said.

"We needed to confirm a schedule and that is very difficult for the Tuatara to commit to given the uncertainty presented with COVID outbreaks presenting a risk to the wellbeing of athletes and staff, coupled with the commercial risk to the ABL, Tuatara and ABL licensees.

"We applaud the early decision, and we know it is the safest option for everyone."

Australian Associated Press