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Cricket News: Australia and England cricketers cleared to play in the second half of IPL 2021 ahead of the T20 World Cup in UAE | Australia & England cricketers have been cleared to play in IPL 2021 before T20 World Cup

Australia and England cricketers are set to be available for the second half of IPL 2021. Cricket Australia (CA) and England Cricket Board (ECB) this weekend paved the way for its IPL contingent to be available for the second half of the tournament, set to restart on September 19.

According to The Telegraph UK and Cricbuzz, the ECB granted a no objection certificate (NOC) to pave the way for the English players to be available for the tournament. This comes after previous doubts regarding the participation of the English contingent given their international schedule. However, England’s tour of Bangladesh has been postponed and a second-string squad is expected to travel to Pakistan.

Australia will be desperate for their experienced cricketers to hit form ahead of the showpiece tournament. The eight players who made themselves unavailable for the West Indies and Bangladesh tours, including David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell, had to watch on as Australia were humbled 4-1 in both countries. This included a record-low of 62 all-out against Bangladesh.

“No doubt it’s their best preparation to be in those exact conditions, playing in probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world,” said Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting.

However, Pat Cummins won’t be available for phase two of the tournament due to the impending birth of his first child.

CSK CEO states availability of Australia and England cricketers in IPL 2021 phase 2

In a recent interview, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Vishwanathan confirmed that neither CA or ECB had any objections to their players’ participation in the tournament.

We have got a call from the IPL office and have been informed that the boards have no objection to their players’ participation. It is now up to the players. Our Australian and English players (Jason Behrendorff, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali) are available,” said Vishwanathan.

Franchises and squads begin to arrive in the UAE for IPL 2021 phase 2 preparation

The second phase of IPL 2021 is all set to resume in the UAE on September 19, with the final scheduled for October 15. The BCCI worked round the clock to reschedule the tournament after the raging COVID-19 surge in India forced its postponement in April. Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, two of the most successful IPL teams, have reached the UAE to begin their preparations.