England’s top players left sweating over delays to big-money IPL contracts with NONE of the 12 stars yet provided with paperwork
England’s leading players have been left in limbo by the delayed issuing of Indian Premier League contracts.
Mail Sport understands that none of the dozen Englishmen selected this year have been provided with their paperwork, yet they are being asked to travel in 10 days’ time to prepare ahead of the lucrative Twenty20 competition’s March 22 start date.
Technically, that would be prohibited under the process by which the England and Wales Cricket Board grant No Objection Certificates – documentation permitting cricketers under their jurisdiction to play domestically overseas.
NOCs are only usually signed off once a player has agreed to the terms and conditions of their deal and passed it onto the governing body, and there is extra onus on this batch of contracts being digested carefully as they are multi-year agreements running for the next three seasons.
Although it is not unusual for things relating to Indian cricket happening at the last minute, the tight timeframe opens the potential for a tricky dilemma developing for the ECB – either break protocol by granting the NOCs before contracts are received or delay the departures of players like Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Phil Salt until they have been.
One of the 12 who will not be featuring is Reece Topley, whose catalogue of career injuries now includes Gilmore’s Groin.
Jos Buttler (left) and Jofra Archer are among the players who have been left in IPL limbo
Kolkata Knight Riders are the reigning champions after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024
It remains to be seen whether Jacob Bethell will recover in time from a hamstring injury
The 31-year-old Topley – who played his 65th and most recent white-ball international against West Indies last November, twisting a knee in the first Twenty20 and being forced home from the tour early – recently underwent a triple hernia operation.
Brydon Carse’s participation is also in serious doubt after the long-standing wound on the pointer toe of his left foot was infected when stitches in it split last month.
It remains to be seen whether Jacob Bethell – one of three England players at Royal Challengers Bangalore, along with Salt and Liam Livingstone – is fit for the start of the tournament following the left hamstring strain that forced him to miss the recent Champions Trophy.
