The participation of the South Africa players could be in doubt for the second leg of IPL 2021 due to their Sri Lanka tour in September.
The second leg of the Indian Premier League 2021 will take place in the UAE from mid-September. After the tournament was postponed due to the Covid-19 situation in India, the second leg was shifted to the UAE. However, with international commitments and other various reasons, it is believed that many overseas players could miss the UAE leg of IPL 2021.
In the latest developments, it is learnt that the IPL teams are concerned about the participation of the South African players as Cricket South Africa announced a tour to Sri Lanka just recently. South Africa are scheduled to play three ODIs and as many T20Is on the Sri Lanka tour which concludes on September 12. With the IPL resuming on September 19, it will be interesting to see how SA players join the league.
If the UAE government does not allow a bubble to bubble transfer, SA players will have to miss the early part of the UAE leg. A similar transfer will be needed for the players participating in the Caribbean Premier League, which ends on September 15.
IPL has enjoyed a clear window for years, but with Covid-19 pandemic and the countries wanting to prepare ahead of the T20 World Cup, the cricket schedule has become packed.
Earlier the England and Wales Cricket Board had revealed that they won’t allow English players to participate in the second leg of the IPL 2021 to keep them fresh ahead of the world event. However, approaches are being made to change the ECB’s stance.
According to the latest reports by CricBuzz, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is trying everything in their power to convince the other boards to ensure the participation of players for the second phase. The officials, who attended the latest meeting held by the BCCI, stated that they’re making all the efforts to find a middle ground with the ECB as English players are a huge attraction of the IPL.
The UAE phase of the IPL 2021 will kickstart with a match between five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians and three-time champions Chennai Super Kings in Dubai on September 19. The final of the tournament is slated to take place on October 15.
