Australian pacer Nathan Ellis likely to play for IPL franchise in tournament's second leg

Australian pacer Nathan Ellis' rise to the top has been nothing short of exceptional. Having been overlooked by New South Wales in the initial stage of his career, the pacer turned around his luck while playing for Tasmania. His efforts were finally rewarded as he now finds himself on the brink of playing in IPL 2021. Eilis went unsold in the IPL auctions earlier this year. The IPL 2021 phase 2 matches will be played from 19 September, with the final set to be played on 15 October. 

Nathan Ellis' IPL contract

According to cricket.com.au, Ellis was being chased by a total of three franchises for the season and on Thursday night, he penned a deal with one of them. Though the name of the franchise hasn't been revealed yet, Cricket Australia is expected to finalise the player's association with the team soon.

The news caps a remarkable day for the death bowling specialist who was named as one of three Australian reserve players for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will immediately follow the IPL 2021 UAE. As per the report by insidesport, Kolkata Knight Riders are likely to make a move for Ellis to replace Cummins, while the same could be the same for Punjab Kings, who are set to play without Jhye and Meredith. Furthermore, Rajasthan Royals could also emerge as suitors, with Jofra Archer ruled out of the tournament with an injury.

Australia's chief selector George Bailey, a former teammate of Ellis at Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes, this week praised the fast bowler's resilience. He said, "It's a great story of perseverance and commitment to the cause. In terms of what you're after from those reserves and knowing we can't carry that many of them, you want someone who can cover as many bases as you can, particularly in T20 and the distinct roles of bowling with the newer ball and finishing off at the death. We feel like Nathan covers those bases really well. He gives it his absolute all, he's a terrific team man to have with the group and someone we see as having a really strong future in the Australian coloured clothing."

Australian players at IPL 2021

Nathan Ellis will be joining the likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson and Daniel Sams, who have already played in the first phase of the tournament and are now expected to return to their franchises. Pat Cummins will miss phase two of IPL 2021 due to the impending birth of his first child but will play for Australia at the T20 World Cup.  Steven Smith is also likely to miss out on the tournament as he is recovering from an elbow injury.

Josh Hazlewood, Riley Meredith, Dan Christian, Moises Henriques, Mitch Marsh, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye and Josh Philippe are the other Australian players that hold IPL deals. Hazlewood, Marsh and Philippe had opted out of the first stage of the IPL tournament that was held in India but is eligible to return to the rescheduled closing stages, although it has not yet been confirmed if they will. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn and Ben Cutting are also among Australians in the IPL.