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Journalism of Courage
England’s cricketers will be allowed to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) for 21 days of the six-week competition,British media reported on Thursday.
All-rounder Paul Collingwood said on Thursday that players had signed their central contracts with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) but were awaiting confirmation they would be allowed to play in the Twenty/20 competition.
Collingwood told reporters: “They have been signed by the players and we are waiting on the IPL to come back with confirmation.”
An ECB spokesman said the arrangement was not yet official.
England are currently on an 11-week tour of the Caribbean and the 21-day period will start in April,shortly after the tour ends.
Sean Morris,the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association,told Sky Sports News the decision will be to the benefit of the game in England.
“I think the players can thank the IPL and the ECB for being flexible and allowing them to participate,” Morris said.
England’s centrally contracted players did not play in the inaugural staging of the multi-million dollar Twenty/20 event in India last year.
Over $1.7 billion was spent on buying the eight franchises for the 2008 tournament with a further $40 million spent on attracting the world’s leading players to the league.
