England players might be free to feature in the second half of the IPL 2021 which begins on September 19 onwards and will be played in the UAE. This has been made possible due to their Bangladesh tour being postponed, which was to happen at the same time, the Telegraph UK reported.

England had been due to tour Bangladesh for three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals, which would have clashed with the IPL 2021 and entailed leaving England a matter of days after the end of the Test series with India on September 14.

However, with the Bangladesh tour now reportedly postponed and set to be rescheduled in the coming 18 months, England players have a possible option to either rest ahead of a grueling winter, which includes the T20 World Cup and the Ashes 2021-22 in Australia, or play in the remainder of the IPL 2021.

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The ultimate confirmation of the news about the tour of Bangladesh will be made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the home board responsible for overseeing the series, said the Telegraph UK.

The IPL 2021 was postponed in May this year due to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc in India.

England had made it clear that their IPL contingent, which includes stars Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan, would be expected to play for the international side if England games clashed with the IPL 2021.

However with the international commitments postponed and the IPL considered to be the perfect preparation for the T20 World Cup, which will also be played in the UAE, and players earning considerable sums from participating in the competition, England players may now reportedly be allowed to choose whether they want to play in the remainder of the tournament.

(The Telegraph UK inputs)