The 15th edition of the India Premier League is just a few weeks ahead, and mega-auction being a few nights away has created a lot of buzz in the cricketing world. Cricket pundits and fans are eager to see their favourite players going under the hammer during mega-auction on 12 & 13 February. However, recent developments regarding the T20 tournament in India will disappoint a few cricket fans.
As per reports, few dynamic foreign players will miss out on the first half of the cash-rich league due to their national assignments. Reportedly, in an email to the franchise, the top brass of the Indian Premier League has conveyed that Cricket Australia has permitted players, who are part of both the Test and white-ball series in Pakistan to travel from April 6. Meanwhile, South African bowlers like Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Marco Jansen will be occupied with a home series against Bangladesh, which ends on April 11. As per the report, the email further states that all Australian players – contracted or not – whose state teams feature in the Sheffield Shield final starting from March 31 would be free to travel only from April 5.
Speaking of the same, George Bailey, Australia’s chairman of a selector, briefed the media on Tuesday and informed that, “While IPL is a development opportunity, CA would not release players when Australia was playing. A huge amount of cricket is scheduled with a series (in Sir Lanka) planned to post the IPL. Cricket Australia will work out with individual players to ensure they are getting the preparation they need. Still, we certainly won’t be releasing players to the IPL while Australia national side is busy with scheduled series.”
Cricket South Africa has indicated that its players will only be available after their home series against Bangladesh. The tour will begin with a three-match ODI series between March 18 and 23, followed by a two-Test series between March 30 and April 11.
Players like Jonny Bairstow and Jason Holder, who are expected to spark a bidding war during mega-auction, could potentially miss the first week of the IPL. Both ECB and Cricket West Indies have informed that their players would be unavailable until March 28, the scheduled last day of England’s tour of West Indies. The ECB has also said it is “committed” to start the first Test of the home series against New Zealand from June 2, so all contracted England players will be available until May 29. The non-availability of marquee players in the IPL auction will cause a lot of brainstorming sessions for the ten franchises gearing up for high-intensity mega-auction this weekend on February 12 and 13.
