IPL 2021: England players unlikely to be available for the second leg of the tournament

England’s centrally contracted cricketers are unlikely to be available for the remainder of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) whenever it’s scheduled. Earlier, the cash-rich tournament had to be postponed due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the camps.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also admitted that the IPL can’t be completed in India this year. Ashley Giles, the England men’s director of cricket, was clear cut in saying that from June onwards, the national team has some massive assignments to look forward to.

The BCCI is mulling two windows- September and mid-November- for the completion of the remaining IPL matches. But England’s players will be in action both times and with little time left until the end of the West Indies tour on March 22, they may not play in the IPL.

Ashley Giles opens up on England players’ availability

“We’re planning on the involvement of England players in England matches. We’ve got a full FTP schedule. So, if those tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh [in September and October] are going ahead, I’d expect the players to be there,” Giles was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

Previously, ECB allowed the English players to give the Test series against New Zealand a miss since it’s not a part of the World Test Championship. However, a number of England’s international assignments were part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for a long time.

“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,” he stated.

“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,” Giles added.

In September, England are scheduled to depart for a limited-overs series in Bangladesh. They are also set to tour Pakistan in mid-October, their first to the country in 16 years. Giles also wished for the players to get “a bit more freedom” from bio-bubbles as the summer progresses.