IPL 2022: Prominent Australian And South African Players Might Miss The First Few Matches Of IPL 15 Due To Int'l Commitments

Several prominent players from Australia and South Africa like David Warner, Pat Cummins, and Kagiso Rabada might miss the first few matches of the upcoming 15^th edition of the Indian Premier League, the IPL 2022 due to international cricket commitments.

While the IPL 2022 dates and venues are yet to be decided and finalized, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is doing its best to host the entire IPL 15 in India, even aiming to hold the tournament in Maharashtra itself. Maharashtra has four international cricket stadiums to offer- the Wankhede Stadium, the Brabourne Stadium, the DY Patil Stadium, all in Mumbai, and the MCA Stadium in Pune.

It is expected that the players from Australia and South Africa may miss anywhere from 10 days to more than two weeks of the start of the IPL 2022 due to them being involved in bilateral series.

Players To Miss A Chunk Of Start Of IPL 2022 As Australia To Tour Pakistan, While South Africa Tours Bangladesh

The likes of Pat Cummins, David Warner, and Steven Smith will be on tour in Pakistan until April 5, the South African fast bowling trio of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Marco Jansen will be busy with an away series against Bangladesh which ends on April 11.

The Test leg of Australia’s tour of Pakistan, featuring three matches, is scheduled to end on March 25. Australia will then play a three-match ODI series in Rawalpindi, which will also host the only T20I on April 5.

Also, ESPNCricinfo reported that the IPL informed the franchise via an email that Cricket Australia had permitted players who were part of both the Test and white-ball leg in Pakistan, to travel from April 6.

Apart from this CA also told IPL that all Australian players – contracted or not – whose state teams feature in the Sheffield Shield final starting from March 31 would be free to travel only from April 5.

On the other hand, Cricket South Africa has reportedly told the IPL that South Africa will be touring Bangladesh. While CSA is yet to name the squads for the same, the Bangladesh tour will begin with a three-match ODI series between March 18 and 23, followed by a two-Test series between March 30 and April 11.

This availability issue of several key players from both sides might impact their value in the upcoming IPL 2022 mega auction. Cummins, Warner, and Rabada feature in the 10-player marquee list, which will be the first set of players in the auction, and the franchisees who have them on the shortlist, might not go all out for them if they will miss two weeks of matches at the start of the tournament.

Also Read: IPL 2022 Auction: CSK Should Be Ready To Spend More On Faf du Plessis, If They Want To Buy Him: Ravichandran Ashwin