England’s explosive batsman Jonny Bairstow, top-order batter Dawid Malan and star all-rounder Chris Woakes have withdrawn from the upcoming second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL), scheduled to begin from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to a report in the Guardian, the English trio has decided to pull out of the cash-rich league, citing a busy schedule that features the T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes. Interestingly, the news has been reported just 24 hours after the cancellation of the 5th Test match between India and England, which has already triggered massive controversy in the cricketing world.
This is undoubtedly a big blow to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), as Bairstow has been their go-to opening batsman since his IPL debut. In fact, the right-handed batsman was in superb form in the first half of IPL 2021, scoring 248 runs in seven matches.
When it comes to Malan, he played the first half for Punjab Kings (PBKS), led by KL Rahul. Malan only played one game and scored 26 runs. Similarly, Woakes appeared for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2021 season, picking up five wickets in three matches.
This isn’t the first time English players have shown their unavailability for the IPL. Earlier, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler had already withdrawn, mentioning personal reasons, while Jofra Archer is out until 2022 with an elbow injury.
It leaves 10 England players who are set to feature in the IPL These players are Moeen Ali and Sam Curran (Chennai Super Kings), Tom Curran and Liam Livingstone (Rajasthan Royals), George Garton (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders), Chris Jordan, and Adil Rashid (Punjab Kings), Jason Roy (Sunrisers Hyderabad).
