The BCCI is exploring every possible window to complete the suspended IPL 2021 but England players won’t be released for the remaining games of the cash-rich tournament, ECB managing director Ashley Giles cleared the air on Thursday (May 27).
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.
While reports suggest that the suspended league is likely to be played in UAE in September end-early October window, England are slated to tour Bangladesh and Pakistan in the same period.
See Also: Second leg of IPL will resume tentatively on September 18 or 19 – Report
Earlier this week, it was also reported that the BCCI has requested ECB to shift the five-Test series between India and England, starting August 4, by a week in order to accommodate the remainder of IPL 14.
However, Giles denied receiving any request for altering the schedule of the Test series, slated to culminate on September 14.
"I'm not aware of anything official, any requests to shift anything," Giles, speaking at the launch of IG as the new official partner of England Cricket, said. "As far as we're concerned and what we're prepared for, the matches will be where they are. I'm not surprised there's all sorts of speculation. Everyone wants to get their cricket in. But we've not received anything official and we're cracking on.
"We have a full schedule. If we go from the end of the fifth Test in September, we are set to leave for Bangladesh on September 19 or 20. We have a full schedule right through including Pakistan and wherever the T20 World Cup is.
"We are going to have to give some of these guys a break at some point. But the intention of giving guys a break for, say, Bangladesh, wouldn't be for them to go and play cricket elsewhere.
"We have to manage our schedule now, so we get our guys arriving in the best shape possible for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes."
The IPL 2021 saw only 29 games being held in four venues under a bio-secure environment and there are still 31 matches left in the competition.
Earlier, it was reported that Team India (expect for Hanuma Vihari and Abhimanyu Easwaran) will depart for UAE just a day after the conclusion of the England tour in a chartered flight for a "bubble to bubble" transfer.
"The Indian team and the English players who will be available will fly in the same charter flight from Manchester to Dubai. Similarly, the West Indies players will also fly in after completing the Caribbean Premier League engagements. There will be three-day quarantine for players arriving from UK and the Caribbean," PTI had quoted a source as saying.
(Inputs from ESPNcricinfo)
