The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has determined that English players competing in the current IPL would be barred from playing in the playoffs. Instead, they have been directed by the ECB to play in the forthcoming series against Pakistan, which begins on May 22. As a result, Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Phil Salt, and Chennai Super Kings’ Moeen Ali will all miss the IPL playoffs.
Today (Tuesday), England’s T20 World Cup team was named. Many of the cricketers in this group are now competing in the Indian Premier League. The playoff matches are slated to take place from May 21 to May 26, and these English cricketers will not participate as confirmed by ECB’s Managing Director Rob Key.
English cricketers presently competing in the IPL include Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks, and Reece Topley. However, their participation in the playoffs is doubtful because their teams, the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, must win all of their remaining matches.
According to the cricket-based website Cricinfo, the cricketers will return to the UK between May 18 and May 19. They will then prepare for their home series against Pakistan.
Rob Key, ECB’s MD, said, “You can’t just tell someone to come back without a reason. There are some regulations involved.”
“We can’t tell Phil Salt, for example, to come back and take a rest for 15 days without any injury or without a contractual agreement with England. But there is a window before the England series where you can bring your players back to play for England or due to injuries.”
