Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced that the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League 2021 season will be conducted in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E). Though the confirmation to conduct the IPL in UAE has been made, the exact dates for IPL 2021 Phase 2 have not been announced. In a big development, it is now being said that West Indies players will not be able to feature when the IPL resumes.
According to an update by Cricbuzz, it is largely assumed that 'the West Indies players will be released' by the IPL franchises. The main reason behind the absence of West Indies players is their participation in Caribbean Premier League 2021 and the tri-series against Afghanistan and Australia just before the T20 WC.
Windies players to play non-stop cricket for three months
The 2021 Caribbean Premier League is slated to be held between August 28 and September 19. The CPL will be followed by a tri-series between West Indies, Afghanistan and Australia. As a result, Windies players will have been involved in non-stop cricketing action for almost three months. The West Indies men are gearing up for a busy summer schedule, which also includes visits from South Africa and Pakistan before the CPL.
A West Indies Cricket Board official told Cricbuzz,
"We are talking to the BCCI to understand exactly when their first match will be and what the protocols will be for our CPL players, staff and commentators to land in the UAE if they have travelled from a bio-secure environment in St. Kitts (the venue of the CPL), especially if they are fully vaccinated. We also need to understand the date of the final as we are due to play a tri-series hosted by Afghanistan with Australia."
As a result, big names like Chris Gayle, Keiron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and many other West Indies players are likely to miss the remaining matches of the rescheduled Indian Premier League 2021 in UAE. The West Indies players form an integral part of the various franchises they represent in the IPL. Their absence will be a major blow for the franchises.