Admits ECB Managing Director Ashley Giles (Photo- Getty)
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England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Ashley Giles lauded the Indian Premier League (IPL) as one of the biggest reasons for the England team’s turnaround in limited-overs cricket.
Ashley Giles. (Image-Sky Sports)
He said that English cricketers’ presence in the lucrative T20 tournament has helped the national team in achieving the number one rank in white-ball formats. Earlier captain Eoin Morgan had talked about how IPL has helped England cricketers develop their game for new generation of white-ball cricket.
IPL Has Extreme Benefits To Us: Ashley Giles
England’s star player Jos Buttler said that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had never asked him to skip IPL to play the Test series against New Zealand at home, which clashes with the knockout stages of the IPL 2021.
“In my briefings with the players, I have encouraged players to think very carefully about what their programs are. I have not directed them. We aren’t forcing either way. The IPL isn’t going anywhere. It has extreme benefits to us. From this group here, I think, we have 12 of the 16 players going to the IPL,” Giles told Sky Sports ‘The Hussain and Key Cricket Show’.
Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Ben Stokes (RR Twitter)
“Years ago we found it very difficult for players to get into the IPL to experience that tournament. Now all of our players are in high demand and it’s probably the big reason why we are number one in world in both white-ball formats,” Giles said.
There are lots of players from England who will appear in the upcoming IPL 2021 like Jonny Bairstow for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Jofra Archer for Rajasthan Royals, Moeen Ali, and Sam Curran for Chennai Super Kings, Tom Curran for Delhi Capitals, and Dawid Malan for Punjab Kings.
We Have Agreed For Players To Go To The IPL: Ashley Giles
Giles further said that ECB had not reneged on their contractual dealing with the England players which allows them to play in T20 leagues especially in the IPL without much interference and provides them with an open window for the same.
Jonny Bairstow (Image Credit: Twitter)
“We have agreed for players to go to the IPL. Those two Test matches were arranged late, they didn’t form part of the original schedule. We had agreed with the players and with the IPL that the players would be available right through the tournament and if they got to the later stages, they would be able to participate,” Giles said.
The IPL 2021 is slated to begin from April 9 with the final scheduled to be played on May 30.
Also Read: IPL Is A Successful Tournament, England Has Benefitted A Lot From The IPL, Says Eoin Morgan
