Ashley Giles, England’s Director of Cricket said that England could lose their best players in the future if the board do not allow them play Indian Premier League. Speaking the BBC’s Tuffers and Vaughan show he mentioned that they do not want to go toe-to-toe with players over IPL participation.
ECB’s Approach To IPL
England players have been rested for parts of their winter tour of Sri Lanka and India. However, many of them will be playing Indian Premier League 2021. In case they represent IPL teams reaching the playoffs, they might miss Tests against New Zealand in June as well. While talking about the same, Giles opined, “Right now I think our players love playing for England.” He added, “I don’t want that to be a kiss of death. I think we have to understand that it could be a danger in the future.”
Giles mentioned, “We don’t particularly want to go toe-to-toe with our players over IPL participation in the long run because we may face losing some of our best players.”
IPL Contracts Should Not Be Reneged
The cash-rich Indian Premier League has seen number of English players taking part over the years. This year is no exception. 11 England players have been signed by franchises this year including Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and, Jofra Archer. England’s approach regarding players’ availability has been relaxed unlike a lot of nations. Moreover, their rotation policy has been implemented in the way keeping all such aspects in mind.
Giles said England players had already signed contracts with franchises agreeing to full availability for this year’s tournament. The confirmation of the series against New Zealand arrived after the signs in January.
“That window was clear for anyone who got to the later stages of IPL to play in the whole competition,” Giles informed. “That is how their contracts were agreed. We don’t think it is right to renege on that agreement.”
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