A number of England stars including Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff have hinted at their desire to play in the IPL.
Despite the West Indies tour of England in May, many player’s feel they should have the opportunity to earn the cash that is available from the tournament. England were originally set to play Sri Lanka in the opening series of the summer, starting with the first test at Lords but the Sri Lankan’s have cancelled the visit due to the majority of their team also taking part in the IPL. This has given many England star’s the feeling of ‘hard done by’ since they have yet to take part in the money spinning tournament.
The IPL takes place between England’s tour of the Windies and the return series in May and any player wishing to star in the IPL would still require a ‘non-objection’ certificate from the ECB. Back in November Andrew Flintoff voiced his opinions on the subject. Speaking after England’s One Day series defeat against the Indians, Flintoff said: “
“India have developed new skills with bat and ball. “We’ve been found wanting in this series. They have moved on their one-day game by playing a lot of Twenty20 cricket.
“The positions they get in to hit the ball and their scoring rate have changed. A few of us are keen on the IPL. The financial reward was mentioned but it will help our development. With the Twenty20 World Cup in England next year, it would be good if we got the chance to play,” he added.
Flintoff’s comments were no doubt used as a voice for the rest of the England team as they attempt to persuade the ECB to strike a deal with Lalit Modi to allow some of them to take part in the second season of the IPL.
Despite the difficulties in the stars playing in the tournament, the good news for them is that Modi has increased the allowance of oversea’s players in any team to ten. This has provided slots for an extra 16 players to be distributed between the eight teams. Modi has also allowed uncapped players to join a team without the need for an auction. This will pave the way for Twenty20 stars such as Essex’s Graham Napier to play.
The lure of the IPL has become as powerful now as it has ever done before but whether the likes of Flintoff will appear is a question only the ECB and Modi can answer.
