The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) managed to sort the clashing of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with the Indian Premier League (IPL). The rescheduled phase of the IPL is all set to start from September 19.
The Board received confirmation from Cricket West Indies (CWI) regarding advancement of the CPL by four days to ensure players participation in the IPL. Now another roadblock hits BCCI, as there is uncertainty over the participation of England and Australia players in the second leg of IPL 2021.
Earlier, ECB has confirmed that they won’t players to skip international matches to take part in the IPL. Rajasthan Royals also received a blow on Monday after Jos Buttler confirmed his unavailability for the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE.
“Both IPL and CPL are important to CWI, to our cricketers and to fans. CWI’s role was to facilitate arrangements for a non-overlapping and smooth transition from one tournament to the next. Cricket administrators must collaborate if cricket is to survive the risks and costs of COVID-19,” Ricky Skerritt, the CWI President, told ESPNcricinfo.
BCCI is set to hold talks with the England Cricket Board and Cricket Australia on the unavailability of players concerns. In the Special General Meeting (SGM) concluded on May 29, the BCCI was pondering over the thought to have a discussion with the boards, to make the players available from England and Australia for the league.
The second leg of the Indian Premier League clashes with the international calendar. The England cricket team is set to host Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India and then tour to Bangladesh for a limited-over series. Apart from that, England Cricket Board is also set to host The Hundred tournament, in July.
Meanwhile, Australia are set to travel to West Indies and Bangladesh for a white-ball series. A jam-packed schedule makes it very difficult for the players to participate in the IPL. If the England and Australia players decide to skip the second leg of the IPL, the BCCI is also trying to hold talks with other teams such as Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
