The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 could only complete 29 matches before its suspension due to the rising coronavirus cases inside the bio-secure bubble.
With much hassle, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently decided to host the T20 extravaganza in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) just after the Indian tour of England from mid-September.
The remainder of the cash-rich was shifted to UAE to avoid rain playing a spoilsport as the monsoon season continues in India during the September-October months.
However, teams are sceptical about the participation of the overseas players once the IPL resumes.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Dinesh Karthik in an interview, revealed his franchise’s team member Pat Cummins might not be able to participate in the remaining leg. Karthik also expressed his concern for their skipper Eoin Morgan dropping out of the league during the September window.
“Pat Cummins has himself said that he will not come. But when it comes to Eoin Morgan, there are still three months to go. A lot can change from now till September. But if I am asked to lead, I will be ready for it,” the Chennai-born told Times of India.
Other national countries have their own fixtures during that period, and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director Ashley Giles had earlier asserted that the Three Lions have a packed schedule, and he expects the cricketers not to participate in any league when given a break from their hectic roster.
“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,” Giles had said.
Meanwhile, there has been no statement from Cricket Australia (CA) regarding the availability of its players till now.
