The second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is set to begin on September 19 but the franchises are still unsure over the availability of their players. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly set August 20 as the deadline for the squad submission for franchises, leaving them in a fix.
Both England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia have given their players the clean chit to participate in the remainder of IPL 2021 but the final decision is still in the hands of the players. With time running out to register players, the franchises are in a hurry to finalise their squads for the second phase of the tournament that is to begin in one month’s time.
“We have to submit the squad by August 20 but I can’t confirm whether all foreign players will be available. We are still in talks with some players. The good thing is that the T20 World Cup will be held in UAE and that gives us confidence that all players will be available but we are still waiting on some players’ final confirmation,” one of the franchise officials told InsideSport.
The fact that the T20 World Cup 2021 will be held in the UAE has eased the franchises’ headaches to some extent. The cricket boards are keen for their players to play in IPL as it serves as the perfect platform for their preparations keeping the T20 World Cup in mind.
So far, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is the only franchise to have a full squad available. Josh Hazlewood, who had missed the first part of the campaign, is set to return for the second part. Rajasthan Royals are among the franchises which have a major headache. While there’s no clarity on the availability of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer is set to miss the T20 league. Even Jos Buttler is yet to confirm his availability.
“Yes, BCCI’s delay in responding officially did play a part in last-minute hassle. We kept hearing about players’ availability in the news but BCCI only confirmed that officially in August. That’s why the August 20 deadline is a little early for us. But if that’s the norm, we will adhere to that,” another franchise official told the portal.
The franchises have also started preparations for their camps in UAE ahead of the new season. In fact, CSK players have already completed their quarantine and are set to begin the practice sessions.
