The 8 franchises have run into some difficulties going into the 2nd leg of the 2021 IPL in the UAE. The BCCI has given the 8 teams till August 20 to submit their finalized team. A few teams are expecting Australian and England stars to confirm their involvement in the prestigious T20 competition in September – October. Here is the Deadline For Franchises To Finalise Squads For IPL 2nd Phase
CA and ECB had previously said that it is up to its players to decide whether or not to participate in the IPL. According to sources, negotiations with some of the players are still underway. Unfortunately, as of yet, nothing solid has surfaced. With less than a month until the 2nd leg begins, the franchises are scrambling to find players.
The good thing is that the T20 World Cup will be held in UAE
“We have to submit the squad by August 20 but I can’t confirm whether all foreign players will be available. We are still in talks with some players. The good thing is that the T20 World Cup will be held in UAE and that gives us confidence that all players will be available but we are still waiting on some players’ final confirmation,” a franchise official said.
The Chennai Super King(CSK)s are the only team with their whole finalized roster. The Rajasthan Royals(RR) are stuck on a dark path because the presence of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in the competition is still a question. This year, England has a packed international calendar. They will travel to Australia for the Ashes after the T20 World Cup, time to head of the West Indies.
“Yes, BCCI’s delay in responding officially did play a part in last-minute hassle. We kept hearing about players’ availability in the news but BCCI only confirmed that officially in August. That’s why the August 20 deadline is a little early for us. But if that’s the norm, we will adhere to that,” another franchise official said.
The 2nd leg of the IPL 2021 will begin on Sunday, September 19, and conclude on Friday, October 15. The remaining 31 matches of the tournament will be held in Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.
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