New Zealand Cricket confirms player availability for IPL’s UAE leg

The New Zealand Cricket CEO David White confirmed that its players would be available for the second leg of the Indian Premier League which is scheduled to take place from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates. 

"New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson and Lockie Ferguson will feature in the second phase of the IPL 2021 in the UAE," White was quoted as saying by Pakistani media house Geo. 

The IPL, which began in April this year was initially suspended after a lot of cases of Covid-19 broke out in the team bio-bubbles and later on it was postponed after the first 29 games that had taken place by May 4.

After this announcement, a franchise owner was relieved as otherwise, they would have been looking halter skelter to find replacements for the foreign stars. “We are much relieved now. BCCI are in talks with English and Australian boards to come to a consensus regarding this. Given April and May are earmarked for the IPL, they are right to raise their own objections, but we are now confirmed to witness New Zealand players in action,” the official was quoted as saying to cricket.com

Although New Zealand Cricket might have agreed, England Wales Cricket Board have made it pretty clear that their players won’t be participating in the second leg, so it is now down to Cricket Australi and how it would respond to players’ availability. These three nations along with the West Indies supply the largest chunk of foreign players and support staff in the IPL.