After a long hiatus due to a coronavirus outbreak, cricketing action resumed earlier this month with the West Indies historic tour of England for a three-match Test series.
Now, cricket is all set to return in other parts of the world too with the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) rescheduled to begin from September 19, as confirmed by IPL chairman Brijesh Patel.
With the highly-coveted T20 extravaganza taking place in UAE, the problem for the participation of foreign players is over as there are no travel restrictions in UAE, unlike India.
Both New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have approved the participation as they are set to give No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the players who are a part of IPL franchises.
NZC’s spokesperson Richard Boock has remarked that the board has left it upon players to take the final decision.
“Yes, NZC will be issuing NOCs for New Zealand players participating in the IPL,” Boock told ANI.
“We leave it up to the players to decide whether or not they want to participate and request NOCs,” Boock added.
Meanwhile, CSA also has no objection over their players participating in the cash-rich league.
“Cricket South Africa will definitely provide players with the NOCs for the Indian Premier League,” CSA Media manager Koketso Gaofetoge told ANI.
There are six Kiwi players contracted by different franchises, while there are 13 South Africans eligible to play in the 13th edition of the tournament.
New Zealand players:
Kane Williamson (SRH), Trent Boult (MI), Mitchell McClenaghan (MI), Jimmy Neesham (KXIP), Lockie Ferguson (KKR), Mitchell Santner (CSK)
South Africa cricketers:
AB de Villiers (RCB), Chris Morris (RCB), Dale Steyn (RCB), Quinton de Kock (Mumbai Indians), Faf du Plessis (CSK), Imran Tahir (CSK), Lungi Ngidi (CSK), Kagiso Rabada (Delhi Capitals), Hardus Viljoen (KXIP), David Miller (RR).
