IPL 2021: England players have opportunity to participate in the IPL as Bangladesh tour stands postponed
IPL 2021 is officially scheduled to resume on September 19. The participation of the England players was in doubt as the board made it clear that they were expecting the players to give national duty more importance. England were scheduled to tour Bangladesh for three ODI's and three T20I games. However, the Telegraph has now reported the tour has been postponed.
This comes as a piece of great news for both IPL fans and the management. There are a lot of English players who ply their services in the IPL and are a key part of their respective franchises. The teams will be relieved to learn that some of their most important players may now be available for the remainder of the season. However, the players will have the final say in the decision as they can opt to rest as well.
Some of the English players are fan favourites as well. People watch the IPL to see stars like Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, etc. The absence of these players would reduce the hype for the IPL. It will be interesting to see if the players opt to play in the IPL, considering the ICC T20 World Cup is also scheduled to be played in the UAE.
Rajasthan Royals will be hoping their English stars make it to the remainder of the IPL 2021
Amongst all the IPL franchises, Rajasthan Royals will be the worst affected if England players miss the remainder of the reason. Four out of their eight overseas players are from England. Ben Stokes recently announced that he has taken an indefinite break due to mental health reasons and his participation in the league remains in doubt.
Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Liam Livingstone are the remaining England players in the RR side for the IPL 2021. While Buttler and Archer have been key for them in the last few seasons, Livingstone is currently in the form of his life. His performances in the Hundred and against Pakistan have been phenomenal. He also scored a T20I hundred against Pakistan. The Rajasthan Royals will hope Livingstone can continue his incredible form in IPL 2021 as well.