Follow UsSome of the big names on Cricket Australia's (CA) central contract list could skip the ODI and T20I series against Pakistan from March 29 to April 5 in order to avoid the losses on their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 contracts, according to a report by Cricbuzz.
Around thirteen Australians, including Test captain Pat Cummins and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, have been either picked up in the mega auction or retained by the franchises. CA had earlier informed that their players will not be available for the start of the tournament (until April 6) due to the Pakistan series, but that could change due to the mandatory quarantine rules.
"None of the contracted players will be available for the IPL before April 6, whether they are playing in the white-ball series (vs Pakistan) or not," a CA spokesperson told Cricbuzz on Monday.
The players will not be able to participate in the IPL immediately after April 6 if they played the three ODIs and the lone T20I against Pakistan, as they will be required to finish the mandatory bio-security protocols for the franchise tournament scheduled to be held in India.
"There is a bit of optics involved here. The CA would not permit their contracted players to participate in the IPL before April 5 but the players would come here and complete the required bio-security protocols meanwhile," a franchise official, who have signed an Australian player, told Cricbuzz.
With the prospect of a bubble-to-bubble transfer ruled out, the players could travel to the IPL venues and finish their mandatory quarantine by April 6. Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder Glenn Maxwell had already confirmed that he will not available for the Pakistan tour and start of the IPL due to his wedding in late March.
The BCCI is in plans to conduct the 2022 edition in two cities in the state of Maharashtra - Mumbai and Pune - or in Mumbai.