We don't want to go toe-to-toe with our players over IPL participation: ECB Director Ashley Giles
England's Director of Cricket Ashley Giles feels going toe-to-toe with English players over participation in the IPL could backfire for the national team. Giles indicated that England could lose some of their best cricketers if they don't release them for the cash-rich league.
With the T20 World Cup set to take place later this year in India, the England board has allowed the English players to stay with their franchise even though the IPL playoffs will clash with the Test series against New Zealand in early June.
Speaking on the BBC's Tuffers and Vaughan show, Ashley Giles said:
"Right now, I think our players love playing for England. I don't want that to be a kiss of death. I think we have to understand that it could be a danger in the future. We don't particularly want to go toe-to-toe with our players over IPL participation in the long run because we may face losing some of our best players. That window was clear for anyone who got to the later stages of IPL to play in the whole competition. That is how their contracts were agreed. We don't think it is right to renege on that agreement."
The England team rotated their players for the tour to India, keeping the IPL in mind. The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, and Jos Buttler, who are seen as three-format players for England and are also part of the IPL, were not available for the entire tour.
We are throwing everything at T20 World Cup and Ashes: Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles reasoned that they have made decisions regarding the rotation of their players with the upcoming T20 World Cup and the Ashes in mind.
"We are throwing everything at that (T20 World Cup and Ashes). The way we have managed our players during this period, with wellbeing and mental health at the forefront of that, is getting a squad to the T20 World Cup and Ashes that are fit to play physically and mentally," Ashley Giles said.
England suffered defeats in the Tests, T20Is and ODIs against India. It remains to be seen whether their rotational approach will benefit them in the future.