England ODI and T20 captain Eoin Morgan might miss out on the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) contract when the franchises sit down for the auction in Bengaluru next month. However, other England cricketers like Ben Stokes, Alex Hales and Jason Roy are set to feature in the auction.
Why are franchises scared of picking English players?
The IPL 2017 will be played in April-May and one does not see Morgan being picked up by any of the franchises in the auction. Reports in the UK media suggest that the player will be called back for international duty by May 1 if he earns an IPL contract which means he will only be available for the IPL for around three weeks.
With the pool of players available in the IPL auction, teams are always on the lookout for players, who will be available for the entire period. The final list of the England and Wales Cricket Board- contracted players, who will be available for auctions, will be announced next week.
Morgan is expected to lead England in the ODI series against his home country Ireland on May 5 and 7 in London and Leeds, respectively. The left-hander was a winning member of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL last season but the franchise decided to release him for the tenth edition.
All the franchises come to the auction after doing their homework and their plans of shortlisting players must have already started too. If their list includes Morgan, they might have to do some fresh calculation.
As for the other English cricketers, the Ireland series may not prove to be an obstacle. Stokes, Hales and Roy are expected to be available for the entire length of the IPL and the franchises will look forward to bring these stars into the side and strengthen their team.
As of now, only two English players -- Jos Buttler (Mumbai Indians) and Sam Billings (Delhi Daredevils) -- are set to play in IPL 2017 as the duo has been retained by their respective franchises.
