IPL 2021: England players likely to miss the playoffs due to Pakistan series
The second half of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin o September 19 in the UAE. The majority of foreign players will be in action apart from the Indian players. England have quite a few players representing the various eight franchises in the IPL.
But few of the English players might miss the playoffs of the IPL 2021 due to their limited-overs tour to Pakistan in October. England are scheduled to play two T20Is in Pakistan on October 14 and 15. Incidentally, the final of the IPL is due to take place on October 15.
According to CricWick, the players selected for the Pakistan series will depart on October 9, which effectively rules some players’ participation in the IPL playoffs, which is due to begin on October 10. Earlier, the England Cricket Board (ECB) had granted permission for its players to partake in the second half of the UAE leg of IPL.
But this time, it looks like ECB might not allow its players to play playoffs of IPL due to two T20Is in Pakistan. Currently, players like Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, and Chris Woakes have opted out of the UAE leg. Apart from the trio, 10 other English players are involved in the UAE leg of IPL.
While Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have Sam Curran and Moeen Ali playing for them, Rajasthan Royals have Liam Livingstone. Apart from these two teams, Eoin Morgan is set to lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). By the looks of it, CSK will be dented more, if they manage to reach playoffs of IPL 14. Moeen and Sam Curran performed well during the first half of the IPL and both were also part of the playing XI often.
Two-match T20I series good preparation for England ahead of the T20 World Cup
The ECB have announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to begin on October 17. But before that, the English players can tune up for the global event by doing well in the T20Is scheduled in Pakistan. The pitches might also be pretty much similar to the ones they will tackle in the UAE. England are placed in Group A, while Pakistan are placed in Group B for the T20 World Cup.
