The BCCI is exploring every possible window to complete the suspended IPL 2021, but England’s centrally contracted players are unlikely to be available for the remaining games of the cash-rich event because of national commitment, ECB managing director Ashley Giles said on Monday (May 10).
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The 14th edition of Indian Premier League was postponed indefinitely on May 4 after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in the bio-bubble of various franchises.
The IPL 2021 season saw only 29 games being held in four venues – Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Delhi – and there are 31 matches still left to be played.
A potential window to complete the suspended league is before the ICC T20 World Cup in October, when England are slated to tour Bangladesh and Pakistan.
"If those tours go ahead I'd expect them (players) to be there," Giles told British media. "We're planning on involvement of England players in England matches."
Earlier, the England management had no issues in allowing dozen of players to miss the Test series against New Zealand at the start of June due to their involvement in the latter stages of IPL 2021.
"The New Zealand scenario was very different," Giles said. "Those matches were formalised at the end of January, by which time contracts were signed for players to have full involvement in the IPL."
Meanwhile, Ashley Giles also said England players who are in isolation after returning from India will not be rushed into international action, adding that the ECB is focussed on workload management of their centrally-contracted players.
As a result of the IPL 2021 postponement, England internationals Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali are currently serving their 10-day quarantine period in government-approved hotels.
"We need to look after them, with the amount of cricket they've got coming up, we're not going to rush or force them back into cricket. (Head coach) Chris Silverwood will work with each and every one of them, as will our medical teams, on what's best for their progress," Giles said.
(With Reuters inputs)
