IPL 2021: England, Australian players given green light to participate in UAE leg

In what can be called a major development, England and Australian players have been cleared to participate in the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have formally informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the same. It’s indeed a major boost for many franchises with England and Australian players being cornerstones of many teams.

For the unversed, the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 will get underway days after the conclusion of this year’s IPL. Hence, many boards were expected to disallow their players from featuring in the Indian competition. Participation of several Aussie and England players was also under dark clouds. Nevertheless, national boards of both nations have given green light to their players and it would be interesting to see how the tournament pans out.

Notably, the news was confirmed after the BCCI informed the franchises regarding the two boards’ go-ahead. On Friday (August 13), IPL COO Hemang Amin called each franchise to inform them about the development. The BCCI official also informed that these players are available till the conclusion of the season. It is now upon the individual players whether to participate or not.

Our Australian and English players are available: CSK CEO

“We have got a call from the IPL office and have been informed that the boards have no objection to their players’ participation. It is now up to the players,” Kasi Viswanathan, CEO of Chennai Super Kings, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. “Our Australian and English players (Jason Behrendorff, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali) are available,” he added.

CEO of Punjab Kings, Satish Menon also confirmed receiving the information from BCCI. “We’ve been told of the clearance. Now the team manager will contact the players individually. Three Australians, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, and Jhye Richardson, and two English players, Chris Jordan and Dawid Malan, are in the Punjab Kings’ ranks,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, IPL 2021 resumes on September 19 with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Notably, half of the tournament is already done and dusted. Hence, all teams will have different goals in the UAE leg. Hence, it would be interesting to see how the gala competition pans out.