Teams Are Pulling Out Their Players From Second Phase of Indian Premier League 2021 Starting From September!

The first leg of the 14th season of the Indian Premier League was played in India and then the tournament was postponed due to the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic. Board Of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) found a way to complete the remaining leg of the IPL in UAE which will kick off on the 19th of September 2021. But due to the commitment to the bilateral tours, many cricket boards have pulled out their players from the prestigious tournament.

A new name is added to the list of teams who are pulling their players out from the Indian Premier League starting from September 19, this time South Africa has said in a statement that their players won’t be available for the second phase of IPL. South Africa will be touring Sri Lanka around the same time. Though Cricket South Africa hasn’t confirmed this news.

South Africa has to play white-ball series against the Island nation which will end on September 12. Since Covid-19 is still there thus players have to go through strict isolation for at least 7 days and many players have reported that isolation has affected them mentally. 

Just after IPL, teams have to play ICC T-20 World Cup thus teams have to remain in bio-bubble after completing IPL. Living in bio-bubbles is not easy at all. And thus, teams want their players to be fit physically and mentally. Recently, star all-rounder from England, Ben Stokes has taken a leave from international cricket for an indefinite time. Stokes gave mental stress as the reason behind his decision. 

Players from CPL 2021 will get freed on the 15th of September. So, it will be interesting to see if the UAE government will allow the shifting of players from one bio-bubble to another bio-bubble. The World Cup will be played in UAE so the bio-bubble will remain the same as IPL will end on the 15th of October and the ICC tournament will begin within a week after the IPL ends. 

Besides CPL and South Africa, England Cricket Board has also denied sending their players to the Indian tournament. England team has to play bilateral series around that time for the preparation of World Cup. Though BCCI is trying to please ECB to send their players for the tournament. Many English players are part of IPL teams. BCCI is talking with other boards as well to get the availability of cricketers. Things are being tried to get on the middle path and the final decision will be taken by the end of this week.