IPL 2021 Phase 2: BCCI Confirms England Players’ Availability For T20 League In UAE

The postponement of England’s tour of Bangladesh has now allowed the English players to use the IPL 2021 Phase 2 in UAE as preparatory ground for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday confirmed that England players will now be available for Indian Premier League (IPL) Phase 2 in the UAE, set to be played from September 19.

In the September-October window, England was earlier scheduled to play three ODIs and as many as T20Is against Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has now confirmed that they are trying to reschedule the England vs Bangladesh limited-overs series after the T20 World Cup.

“The English players will be available for the resumption of the IPL in the UAE. The BCCI has the green signal. This shows the brilliant working relationship that the secretary has with not just the ECB, but also the BCB,” a source told ANI.

“Both the teams [Bangladesh and England] are playing a lot of cricket before the T20 World Cup, so we are discussing with the ECB whether the series can be hosted after the World Cup,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury was quoted as saying by Bangladesh daily Prothom Alo, reported ESPNcricinfo.

“If the series is pushed to after the T20 World Cup, we have to know when it can be hosted. If the two teams don’t have a gap in the calendar at the same time, we can hold it on the original dates,” he added.

BCCI had announced the IPL 2021 Phase 2 schedule in July. A total of 31 matches will be played in the duration of 27 days.