Picture Credit: England and Wales Cricket Board
The 14th edition of Indian Premier League is currently going through an uncertain period with many players backing out of the tournament due to personal reasons. The regular rising cases of COVID-19 in the country is taking a toll over the mental health of players in bio-bubble. The situation in the country has worsen in the last few days and it has led the players to leave the tournament mid-way.
After Ravichandran Ashwin announced that he wanted to be with his family in these difficult times, the Aussie trio of Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa have also left for home. While BCCI have ensured that the season will continue as planned, they would be hoping that no other players back out in the coming days.
IPL 2021 gets a major boost
In the middle of all this, they have been handed a major boost by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) who confirmed that their players are not planning to leave the tournament as of now. An ECB spokesperson told PA, “We continue to monitor and work with the players on an individual basis. We are offering advice daily to those that seek it. Our thoughts are with the people of India during these difficult times."
Among the contracted English players who are no more a part of IPL 2021, there is Ben Stokes who got injured in the first game for RR and had to go back home for surgery. Apart from him, his teammate Jofra Archer is still undergoing a rehab in England and was ruled out of the remainder of the season few days back. Meanwhile, Liam Livingstone also left the RR squad due to bio-bubble fatigue leaving only 11 England players in India.
England players left in IPL 2021
The ongoing season of Indian Premier League feature a lot of prominent British players who are crucial members of their respective franchises. While Eoin Morgan is the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, Jos Buttler is one of the most senior players in Rajasthan Royals squad. Apart from them, the duo of Moeen Ali and Sam Curran are vital cogs in Chennai Super Kings' side. The other English players involved this season include: Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy (Sunrisers Hyderabad); Chris Woakes, Sam Billings and Tom Curran (Delhi Capitals); Chris Jordan and David Malan (Punjab Kings).