IPL 2021: Players Who Are Not Coming Back and Uncertain of Returning to Phase two
The return of the Indian Premier League or the IPL 2021 phase 2 is set to happen from September 19 to October 15, just before the T20 World Cup is set to begin in the UAE. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) already made the official announcement concerning the remaining 31 matches of the biggest cricket tournament worldwide.
It was on May 4 when the VIVO IPL 2021 was indefinitely suspended due to the rising cases of COVID 19 in the tournament’s venue in India. The IPL bio-secure bubble was also breached as some players, coaches, and staff of the league has eventually tested positive for the virus.
It wasn’t easy for the BCCI to find a window for the remainder of the IPL season but now, fans are just happy to know that it will be back in September in the UAE. Despite the league flying to the UAE, fans should still be able to play prediction games on their favourite matches on sites that accept payment methods in India: Astropay, Paytm, Neteller. However, the dilemma at the moment is that some cricketers are already announcing they won’t come back to the tournament and many are still uncertain.
Dinesh Karthik Confirms Pat Cummins Won’t Be Back for Phase 2 of IPL 2021
According to the batsman-keeper of Kolkata Knight Riders, Dinesh Karthik, Australian pacer Pat Cummins will not be returning to the rest of the IPL 2021 in the UAE. Karthik talked to Times of India about this and said, “Cummins has said he is not coming, but there are still three months [ahead] and Morgan may still be available. But if I am asked to lead, I don’t have a problem.”
It is likely that Australian cricketer Cummins would rather spend more time at home and with his family after traveling so much for the tournaments. He also spent a lot of time in quarantine and bubbles that it’s probably already taken a toll on the athlete.
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It is also known that his fiancé is pregnant at the moment and he may want to spend more time with her. However, even if fellow cricketer already confirmed this, Cummins himself still has not commented about the issue.
Jos Buttler is Also Unlikely to Be Present in the second phase of IPL 2021
England wicketkeeper and batsman Jos Buttler also already talked about the possibility of not returning to the IPL in September if it will clash with the national team’s schedule. Buttler talked to The Telegraph about this and said, “Usually, the pocket of the IPL doesn’t clash with any international games, which makes it a very easy tournament to be available for. When it clashes with international cricket, England will take precedence, I’d have thought.”
Still, the cricket player talked about flexibility. Buttler is expected to be part of all five Tests against India from August and regarding flexibility, he said, “I think you do need an element of flexibility. You have to find a balance. We like to plan, and if you were just sucking it and seeing going into the biggest international cricket, you’d probably say that’s quite a lack of planning.
“I think there has to be an element of flexibility, but I think it’s very important to plan that as well,” he also added.
The cricket star also expressed his thoughts on England’s rotation policy during a pandemic. He said that the scheduling could be better so that all format players wouldn’t have to miss any games. He said, I think in terms of how much cricket we play, we play a hell of a lot, and we understand it’s a short career and you want to be available and play as much as you can.
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“But at certain times, I don’t think it is possible. I think COVID has complicated that even more. It’s an age where we’ve got to look after people and applaud that the guys are trying to be forward-thinking. Is it perfect? No, of course not. I don’t think so, but I’d rather we look after our guys.”
He also added how players should be looked after better. He explained, “I think in England, we’re playing a lot of cricket more than most. And obviously, there’s a lot of cricket left this year and there’s some big cricket to come up. So, those breaks were put in there. I think it’s important to be looked after really well.”
It is likely that more cricketers will talk about the uncertainty of them coming back to the IPL in September. Aside from Cummins and Buttler, the availability of the Australia players is still not yet confirmed too.