A day after English captain Ben Stokes announced leaving the IPL early for England’s lone Test against Ireland ensuing the Ashes. The availability of the nation’s other Test players for the entirety of this season’s league has come to the light.
Most teams in the Indian Premier League throw high money into attracting the World Champions, relying heavily on them, especially the Punjab Kings who recently made all-rounder Sam Curran the most expensive player in the history of the T20 league while Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone already a part an integral part of their squad.
“You didn’t keep a backup“- Aakash Chopra
Analyzing the probable condition, former Indian batter Aakash Chopra believes that if England’s Test players decide to leave the IPL 2023 early, it will be the north Indian side who will suffer the most.
“If all of these (contracted England Test) players decide to leave, it could be a problem. Punjab Kings will be at the biggest loss because they have the most English players – Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, and Jonny Bairstow. If all three go, the team will go down drastically.” Aakash said Chopra
“Sam Curran was very expensive. Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow are important parts of the Punjab Kings’ plans. The team can suddenly become very weak if both of them are not there because you didn’t keep a backup for them.” he added.
Question for replacements
Eight additional Test players are scheduled to participate in the IPL, six of whom are under full-time contracts namely Joe Root, Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Sam, and Harry Brook. The ECB may impose a timeline for their return however Stokes said he will discuss keeping the door open for some to skip the Ireland Test if they’d choose.
But the question is whether the franchises will be able to substitute players of such stature given that not many options are available after a full-blown IPL auction and their heavy reliance on the Englishmen.