England players set to be available for second half of IPL: Reports

England players will be available for the second half of this year's Indian Premier League, The Telegraph (UK) reported on Monday (August 2). The remainder of the IPL 2021 will be played in the UAE in September-October, but England were scheduled to travel to Bangladesh at the same time for three ODIs and as many T20Is. However, the tour has now been postponed and will take place within the next 18 months.

According to the report, the England players will now be allowed to participate in the IPL. If not, they could also take rest ahead of this year's T20 World Cup and the Ashes. "Ultimate confirmation of the news about the tour of Bangladesh will be made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the home board responsible for overseeing the series," The Telegraph stated in its report.

The 2021 edition of the franchise-based T20 league was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The last game was played on May 2 between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals. The BCCI recently announced that the remainder of the tournament will be played from September 19 to October 15, just prior to the T20 World Cup.

The managing director of England's men's team, Ashley Giles had earlier made it clear that the England players won't be released for the rescheduled IPL. However, the IPL 2021 will now serve as a perfect platform to get ready for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be played in the UAE and Oman. The showpiece event is set to run from October 17 to November 14. 

This news will come as a huge relief for most of the franchises. Eoin Morgan is Kolkata Knight Riders' captain, while Sam Curran and Moeen Ali are crucial members of Chennai Super Kings. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals have Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Jofra Archer in their set-up. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are part of Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan play for Punjab Kings. 

For now, England are still scheduled to tour Pakistan for two T20Is (October 14 and 15) but things could change depending on quarantine requirements in both Pakistan and the UAE.