IPL 2021: Franchises Hopeful Of The BCCI To Talk With Other Boards And Get Foreign Players In Second Half Of The Tournament

A franchise official of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) has revealed that all the franchises are confident that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will have positive talks with foreign cricket boards in order to get the key overseas players for the second half of the IPL 2021.

It was recently reported by ANI that the BCCI has confirmed that the second half of the IPL 2021 will resume on September 19 onwards and the final will be played on October 15 and the remainder of the tournament will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The matches are expected to be played in Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi.

But there is still a question mark on the availability of the foreign players for the second half of the IPL 2021 tournament.

If We Do End Up Missing Some Of The Foreign Stars, Team Balance Can Go For A Toss, So Keeping Fingers Crossed: Franchise Official

When asked about the situation with regards to the availability of the foreign players, the official said talks are on and the Indian board expects positive outcomes. He revealed that if some of the foreign players do not turn up for the tournament, the future course will also be discussed.

“The discussions have started and we are keeping fingers crossed that the foreign players will be mostly available. If a couple of them do not manage to turn up, we shall then decide on the future course of action. But keeping fingers crossed for now and hoping to have an action-packed end to the 14th edition in UAE,” the official said.

A franchise official mentioned to ANI that they are confident of BCCI will have positive discussions with the foreign boards and make the players available for the remainder of the IPL 2021. This comes after the England and Bangladesh cricket board officials confirming that players contracted to their respective boards will not be available for the second half of the IPL 2021.

“What we were made aware after the BCCI SGM is that the board will be speaking to the foreign boards and check on the availability of the foreign cricketers. We are confident that the BCCI will find the best possible solution and honestly it is a matter of the BCCI officials speaking to the respective board officials, so we should wait to hear from the board on this.

Yes, if we do end up missing some of the foreign stars, that is an area which would need some attention when it comes to picking replacements as the foreign players are also integral to the teams. Team balance can go for a toss, so keeping fingers crossed on that one,” the franchise official said.

There are still 31 matches to be played in the second half of the IPL 2021 including the 3 playoff matches and the final.

Also Read: IPL 2021: Tournament To Resume On 19th September, Final On October 15th – Reports