According to ECB director Ashley Giles, no England cricketer with a central contract is likely to be available for phase 2 of IPL 2021.
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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director Ashley Giles has hinted that centrally contracted England players will not be available for phase 2 of IPL 2021. Giles has made it clear that England’s centrally contracted players will not miss international fixtures in Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Ashes.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended the IPL due to coronavirus. With India touring Sri Lanka in July, it rules out the chances of the IPL being rescheduled in that window. “We’re planning on the involvement of England players in England matches. We’ve got a full FTP schedule. If tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh are going ahead, I’d expect the players to be there,” Giles said.
“The New Zealand scenario was very different. Those Test matches were formalised at the end of January, by which time all those contracts and NOCs [no objection certificates] were signed for full involvement in the IPL.
“None of us knows what a rearranged IPL looks like at the moment; where it’s going to be or when. But from when we start this summer against New Zealand, our programme is incredibly busy. We’ve got a lot of important, high-profile cricket including the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. And we’re going to have to look after our players,”
While Jos Buttler is the backbone of the Rajasthan Royals side, Eoin Morgan is Kolkata Knight Riders captain. Besides Morgan and Buttler, 12 other England players were involved in the IPL this year. But Giles’s revelation means all 14 England cricketers will miss the IPL whenever and wherever it resumes.
Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly has also revealed that while the IPL 2021 is not resuming anytime soon. The tournament is not going to be held in India whenever the resumption happens. After hosting India for the five-match Test series, England could depart for a limited-overs tour of Bangladesh in September. The Ashes is supposed to start on December 8. England have a tour of the Caribbean scheduled towards the end of January 2022.
