Kolkata Knight Riders can bank on the availability of skipper Eoin Morgan in the second leg of the Indian Premier league (IPL) scheduled to begin in the UAE on 19 September. Morgan confirmed that he would play in the second half of the league after England’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh had been rescheduled to take place in March 2023.
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BCB and ECB Agreed to Postpone Tour
The England tour of Bangladesh involving three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals was to take place in September-October and the itinerary would overlap the schedule of the IPL. The Bangladesh Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board mutually agreed to reschedule the tour for March 2023.
IPL will help Players to get Familiar with Playing Conditions in T20 World Cup
According to Morgan, players would benefit by taking part in the IPL to be played in the UAE, the venue for the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in October-November. The players could use the league to get familiar with the conditions they can expect at the World Cup. Morgan added that it was up to individual players whether they wanted to play in the IPL or take a break from cricket ahead of the World Cup.
“It’s a complete individual decision. I think it was a win-win either way. If we went to Bangladesh we’d play in conditions that are foreign to us. If some guys go to the IPL, they’ll play in similar conditions [to the World Cup] or for guys that need a rest, they take a rest. We’ve a lot of cricket to play between now and then. We’ve planned on the tour going ahead – that’s been part of our planning for a long time now – but equally, given the nature in which we now compete and live our lives, it’s not a bad thing for guys to either take time off or go to the IPL if they feel refreshed and have enough energy.”