IPL 2021: BCCI confirms England players' participation in UAE leg

The second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is set to get underway on September 19 and cricket fans worldwide must have marked their calendars. After all, IPL is arguably the most celebrated T20 competition across the globe. However, the participation of several foreign players is under dark clouds due to travel and quarantine restrictions. Notably, the high-voltage T20 World Cup will commence days after the conclusion of the Indian T20 league.

Hence, many cricket boards are skeptical of sending their players in IPL. Several England players were also expected to skip the remaining season. However, it is now learnt that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has received the green signal from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on the participation of English players. It happened due to the postponement of Bangladesh vs England white-ball series before the T20 World Cup.

“The English players will be available for the resumption of the IPL in the UAE. The BCCI has the green signal. This shows the brilliant working relationship that the secretary has with not just the ECB, but also the BCB,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by Free Press Journal.

England tour of Bangladesh postponed

For the unversed, Bangladesh was scheduled to host England in three ODIs and as many T20Is in September-October. However, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the board is trying to reschedule the series after the T20 World Cup.

“Both the teams [Bangladesh and England] are playing a lot of cricket before the T20 World Cup, so we are discussing with the ECB whether the series can be hosted after the World Cup,” Nizamuddin Chowdhury was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“If the series is pushed to after the T20 World Cup, we have to know when it can be hosted. If the two teams don’t have a gap in the calendar at the same time, we can hold it on the original dates,” he added.

Players like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran have been an integral part of IPL for the last few seasons. Hence, the absence of England stars would have dented the competition by fair means. Nevertheless, these names will feature in this year’s gala competition and would like to take their respective teams over the line.

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