England skipper Eoin Morgan has confirmed his participation in the second leg of the Indian Premier League 2021 in the UAE. He announced this decision after England’s limited-overs tour of Bangladesh got postponed. Morgan will return to captain Kolkata Knight Riders in the remaining part of the season.
Earlier, Ashley Giles, England’s Director of Men’s Cricket, mentioned England players won’t participate in the second leg of the IPL 2021. However, with the postponement of the Bangladesh tour, the dark clouds over English players’ participation are gone.
Also Read: Eoin Morgan hopes The Hundred to find talents like IPL does
“It’s a complete individual decision. I think it was a win-win either way. If we went to Bangladesh we’d play in conditions that are foreign to us. If some guys go to the IPL, they’ll play in similar conditions [to the World Cup] or for guys that need a rest, they take a rest. We’ve a lot of cricket to play between now and then,” said Eoin Morgan to ESPNcricinfo.
“We’ve planned on the tour going ahead — that’s been part of our planning for a long time now — but equally, given the nature in which we now compete and live our lives, it’s not a bad thing for guys to either take time off or go to the IPL if they feel refreshed and have enough energy.”
Also Read: Eoin Morgan returns for T20I series against Pakistan
Meanwhile, sources close to BCCI threw light upon the development in regard to the participation of England players.
Jos Buttler told Sky Sports: “I don’t know, to be honest. My family life is due to change – we’ve got a second child due to be born in early September. So unless I want to get away from a few sleepless nights, I might have to be at home.”
“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,” the source said.
The IPL 2021 was suspended midway when the Covid-19 breached into the bio-secure bubble of the league. BCCI suspended the league in May and later on confirmed it will resume in the UAE for the remaining games.
