England's top cricketers have been told they must put country first rather than play in the re-arranged Indian Premier League. The IPL was postponed earlier this month when the bio-secure bubbles protecting the players in Covid-ravaged India were breached, leaving 31 matches unplayed. There also remains the possibility of completing the IPL in England after the five-Test series against India finishes in mid-September, with Surrey, Warwickshire and MCC among those keen to stage IPL matches. 'None of us knows yet what a rearranged IPL will look like and where it will be but our Future Tours Programme is incredibly busy. 'We do intend to look after our players but we've got a lot of high-profile cricket ahead of us this year, including a T20 World Cup and the Ashes, and we're planning on the involvement of England players in England matches.'

Source: Daily Mail May 10, 2021 16:52 UTC