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With the IPL 2024 playoffs set to take stage 10 days before the commencement of the T20 World Cup, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had asked the English players to be available for national duty, thus meaning they will have to keep themselves unavailable for the IPL playoffs. Reportedly, BCCI is in talks with the ECB to make English players available for the final four stages of the cash-rich league.
IPL playoffs, which are scheduled to be played from May 21 to 26, 2024 will coincide with the Pakistan tour of England which consists of four T20I matches. Hence, ECB wants their World Cup-bound players to return for the series which is considered very important in terms of preparation for the showpiece event in the West Indies and the USA.
According to the Times of India, the Indian cricket board is in talks to resolve the matter considering the participation of the players as none of the franchises wants to release their England players as they had charted a similar strategy during the auction. Last year, England's board had assured of players availability for the entire season and BCCI expects that ECB will keep its commitment.
The TOI quoted a source saying, "The franchises are in no mood to release their England players at this stage of the tournament, as they had planned accordingly at the auction. Talks are on between the BCCI and the ECB to resolve this issue. "
Buttler, Bairstow, and Salt’s participation in hamper
If the talks of both parties don’t end up with a coordinated solution, there are chances many Indian League franchises may remain handicapped by the unavailability of their core English players. Players like Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow, and Sam Curran, who are integral members of their respective franchises are likely to return home for the T20I series.
