England cricketers ordered to kick aside ECB's restrictions and enter PSL 2025 draft

The England cricketers have been told to enter the Pakistan Super League 2025 draft despite the stringent restrictions from the ECB on the players' participation in the overseas franchise leagues, as per Daily Mail.

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has reportedly written to the governing body and set out its legal position on several issues related to the new rules on No Objection Certificates (NOCs). The NOCs are required for the players to play in overseas leagues.

The PCA has asked England's multi-format players to identify themselves who are willing to put their names in the PSL draft. The draft of the Pakistan Super League 2025 is set to take place on January 11, 2025.

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What were the new restrictions from ECB?

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had made an announcement regarding a no. of measures about the restrictions on English players in overseas domestic competitions. It had created a sensation among the country's players about their participation in various leagues abroad.

It also involved denying the NOCs to those players who have a contract with 18 first-class clubs in the County Championship from April to September. The players cannot receive the NOCs for any league other than the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's biggest franchise cricket league.

The PSL is a famous competition among English players. Even though most of the top English players are unavailable due to international and IPL commitments, various domestic players from the country have participated in the league over the years.

England players not pleased with restrictions

Even England's cricket team has made regular tours to Pakistan for multi-format series. Recently, England visited Pakistan for a three-match Test series which they lost 1-2 to the hosts.

The upcoming season of PSL will take place in a new slot of April and May. Many players were not pleased with these restrictions. The guidelines even included a veto on the players featuring in T20 tournaments that coincide with either the Vitality Blast or The Hundred, two premier competitions in England.

PCA resolves the matter with the ECB

The players even considered suing the ECB for restraint of trade to counter these measures. However, the PCA has reportedly discussed the matter with the ECB before submitting their legal correspondence. It was contrary to earlier indications to the players who have white-ball-specific deals.

The IPL and the PSL are likely to coincide with each other in 2025 due to the ICC Champions Trophy, which will be held in February-March next year. It means that the top English players might not even play in the PSL due to their IPL commitments.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already announced the dates of the Indian Premier League. The IPL will run from March 14 to May 25 with ten teams participating in it. Some of the top players from England already have an IPL contract.

However, players like Jonny Bairstow and James Anderson, who put their names forward in the IPL auction, didn't find any buyers and could well be present in the Pakistan Super League.