IPL 2021: Australian cricketers confirm their availability for second leg

The IPL franchises can breathe a sigh of relief as several Australian players, including Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Lynn and Nathan Coulter- Nile have confirmed their availability for the second leg of IPL. The development means that franchises will now have most of their overseas players available for the remaining 31 games. Earlier, England and New Zealand players also made themselves available for the second leg. Cricket West Indies (CWI) had also tweaked the schedule of Caribbean Premier League so that West Indies players can participate in the lucrative league.

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Cricket Australia had taken a stern stance against the players skipping national duties and playing the IPL and said they won’t allow their players to go and play in the T20 extravaganza. However, it seems they have reached terms with the BCCI who was constantly in touch with overseas boards over the availability of their players. Reportedly, Cricket Australia (CA) had left it to the players over travelling to the UAE to participate in the IPL.

Meanwhile, the participation of Sunrisers Hyderabad's David Warner is still not confirmed. Warner was dropped from the playing XI and stripped of his leadership duties before the tournament was postponed.

The IPL 2021 will resume on September 19, with defending Champions Mumbai Indians crossing swords with Chennai Super Kings in Dubai. The tournament will be spread across three venues - Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Along with the opening fixture, Dubai will also host the first qualifier and final while Sharjah will host the eliminator and qualifier 2. A total of seven doubleheaders will be played, with the first one to take place on September 25. The matches will start at 7: 30 PM IST. In the case of doubleheaders, the first game will start at 3: 30 PM while the second one will begin at 7: 30.