Srinagar, May 11: England Cricket Board (ECB) has made it clear to its stars players that they have to skip rescheduled Indian Premier League (IPL) in case tournament clashed with England fixtures .
The 2021 IPL had to be suspended midway after outbreak of COVID-19 inside bio bubble created for the tournament .
Now there are speculation the IPL may resume midway through September, which could lead to a clash with England white-ball tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh that are meant to take place between the end of the home season and a T20 World Cup in India scheduled for October.
Previously, the England and Wales Cricket Board had been prepared to let players miss those matches in order to honour their previously agreed IPL deals.
Ashley Giles, the England managing director, has made it clear he expects national service to be the the priority from now on in a year culminating with Joe Root’s men heading to Australia in a bid to regain the Ashes.
“We’ve got a full future tours programme and if those tours are going ahead I’d expect them (IPL players) to be there,” Giles said Monday.
“The New Zealand scenario was very different. A rearranged IPL…none of us knows what that looks like at the moment, where it’s going to be, or when or if.”
Giles, a former England left-arm spinner, added: “But we’ve got a lot of important high profile cricket including a T20 World Cup and Ashes, so we’re planning on the involvement of England players in England matches.”