The reminder of 2021 Season of IPL will be played in UAE. The Decision was taken by the BCCI in the Special General Body Meeting on Saturday (29 May), where the members unanimously agreed to resume IPL. The decision to the shift the IPL outside India was taken keeping in mind the Monsoon Season in India which begins from June and Lasts until end of September.
For those who are unaware, IPL Season 14 was indefinitely suspended on May 4, a day after rescheduling KKR vs RCB Encounter as 2 KKR Players - Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were Tested Positive. BCCI asserted that the decision was taken “keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind.”
Interestingly, the announcement comes just a day prior to Original Date of IPL 2021 Final i.e., 30 May 2021
Challenges:
But it will face a number of challenges for resuming the season in the September-October Window this year. Some of them are as Follows: -
1. Short Window: Firstly, the Team India will be in action till September 14, the 5th day of the Final Test which means Indian Players themselves will not be available before September 20. Also, the T20 World Cup is originally scheduled to begin around 18 October. If ICC Allows India to Host the Tournament, the IPL will have to be completed at least a week prior from the beginning of the Global Tournament. This Leaves a Window of around 20 Days to complete the remaining 31 Matches including the Play-offs.
2. Caribbean Premier League: CPL would only end by September 19 which means No WI Player can play IPL before 25th September missing at least 2-3 Matches for their Respective Sides. The Likes of Gayle, Pollard and Russell are Key Players for their Teams.
3. Other Scheduling Conflicts: Bangladesh are set to host England and Australia while New Zealand Players will be travelling to Pakistan, in the same period.
4. Doubtful Aussies: Though they have No International Cricket Scheduled during the period, CA would like their Players to take a break following their one and a half months of cricket in the West Indies and Bangladesh. Playing IPL would extend their Workload and begin the T20 World Cup without any rest. Pat Cummins, is the first one to pull out of the Tournament.
5.Unavailability of England Player: England Players are due to travel Bangladesh on 19th September, after their Test Series against India gets concluded followed by a visit to Pakistan for 2 T20Is. Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men's cricket, has explained that England’s Schedule is packed till the T20 World 2021 and they are not willing to compromise on their Tours, though he hasn’t received any official request from BCCI yet. Also, he was clear that those players, who were rested, would not be available either as they were rested with an intension of giving them a break and not for them to go and play cricket elsewhere.
Possible Solutions:
BCCI might try to get the T20 World Cup postponed for a couple of days and might also try to negotiate with the CPL to alter their Schedule to free their Players, ensuring their availability right from the beginning of the IPL. They might also be able to work out possibilities for New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Australian Board to let their players play the IPL. But it seems most unlikely that the ECB would entertain any negotiations to let their players participate in the Cash Rich League.
The Losers:
England Players, most likely, might not be allowed to Participate in the Remainder of the Tournament, many teams are going to suffer due to it. The List of Team along with the Players that would lose their Prominent Overseas Players :-
RR: Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Liam Livingstone
DC: Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Sam Billings
CSK: Moeen Ali, Sam Curran
SRH: Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy
PBKS: Dawid Malan, Chris Jordan
KKR: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Pat Cummins
Since the there is no official confirmation from the CA, NZC and BCB about the availability, the Players from their teams are not included in the List.
The Gainers:
The Postponement of IPL has not just resulted in Losses; some teams will be benefitted as well by regaining their Withdrawn Players due to Various Reasons. The List of Team along with the Players that was withdrawn from the original Scheduled but would be available in the Remainder is as follows:
DC: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Ravichandran Ashwin
RCB: Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Phillippe
SRH: T Natarajan, Mitchell Marsh
PBKS: KL Rahul (Captain)
CSK: Josh Hazlewood
RR: Andrew Tye
Do let us know how excited are you for the IPL Phase 2 and whom are you supporting
