Absence Of Overseas Players Won’t Stop Us From Completing IPL 2021: Shukla

Mumbai: BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla has said that the unavailability of some foreign players is not going to stop them from completing the now-suspended IPL 2021 in UAE in September-October.

However, Shukla assured that the IPL version would be completed with available players and the franchise would also be allowed a replacement.

“We have also discussed that [foreign player] issue. Our main focus is on completing this version of the IPL. It should not be left in between. Therefore, whichever foreign players are available is fine. Anything that is not available will not prevent us from hosting the tournament,” he said.

“There are Indian players, foreign players, but some foreign players will not be available. As I said, we have to finish our tournament. So the franchise will definitely look for other players.  Whoever is available, we are going to have the tournament with them. That’s our policy,” Rajeev Shukla told Khaleej Times.

For the time being there is doubt about the involvement of players from England and Australia. While Joe Root’s men are set to play two T20Is in Pakistan on 14 and 15 October, Cricket Australia (CA) wants to manage their players’ workload ahead of the World Cup and the Ashes.

The remaining 31 matches of IPL 2021 will tentatively be held from September 17 to October 10 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

IPL 2021 was indefinitely suspended with immediate effect on May 4 after rising Covid-19 cases in the team bio-bubbles along with inconclusive reports of several groundsmen contracting the virus.

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