The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) extended the deadline for players’ registration for the upcoming mega auction ahead of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to January 20. A two-day auction will take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13 as many top Indian and overseas players are set to go under the hammer.
As per a report in Cricbuzz, several top Australian and England players are having second thoughts about their participation in the mega auction due to bio-bubble fatigue. The report mentioned the names of England skipper Joe Root and star all-rounder Ben Stokes, Australian Test captain Pat Cummins and pacer Mitchell Starc, who are contemplating putting their names up for grabs in the auction.
Root already cleared that he wouldn’t be taking part following his side’s 4-0 drubbing in the Ashes series in Hobart. “I didn’t (give name for auction), no, I think that there’s a lot that we need to do for this team, which deserves all of my energy. I really hope I get the opportunity to do it. I’ll keep sacrificing as much as I can because I care so much about Test cricket in our country and trying to get us to where we can,” Root said after the series.
Starc, on the other hand, a few days ago had said that taking part in the IPL could be a possibility given the T20 World Cup coming in later this year. “I’ve got two days to get my paperwork in, so that might be something to do today before training. I’ve not put my name down just yet, but I’ve got a couple more days to decide on that. It’s certainly on the table regardless of what the schedule has got coming up,” Starc was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
However, not just Starc, many other multi-format Australian players are in doubt given the tight international schedule in the first half of 2022. After the recently concluded Ashes series, their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand arrive for three ODIs and a T20 followed by five T20Is against Sri Lanka at home.
After which, they travel to Pakistan for a multi-format tour followed by another white-ball tour to New Zealand before the players head to the IPL. Thus, bubble fatigue could force many Australian players out of participation in the 15th edition of the cash-rich league.
