Kevin Pietersen asks England players to unite against ECB and play IPL if rescheduled

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen asked English players to unite against their board and play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) if the cash-rich tournament resumes in the coming months. The tweet comes amid speculations that England players will not be allowed to take part in the rearranged IPL because of their "extremely busy" schedule. England is slated to play a few bilateral series ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in November, which the men's team managing director Ashley Giles has dubbed as "important and high-profile cricket". 

Pietersen took to social media and said it will be interesting to see how the ECB handles the issue around not allowing its players to take part in the rescheduled IPL. The South African-born cricketer further reminded his followers how he single-handedly took on the ECB when the board was showing reluctance towards his participation in the IPL back in 2012. Pietersen said he was "alone" at the time to stand against the will of the board, but now "it's all their best-branded players". 

"It’s going to be v interesting to watch how the ECB handle this issue around not allowing its best players to play IPL if it’s rescheduled. When I went up against ENG, I was alone. This time, it’s all their best-branded players! If they stand together, they’ll play IPL!" Pietersen tweeted. 

IPL postponed

IPL 2021 was called off by the BCCI after multiple players tested positive for COVID-19 in separate bio-bubbles. It is not yet clear when the IPL will restart again, but media reports suggest that the BCCI could conduct the remaining matches of the cash-rich tournament in September this year, before the start of the ICC T20 World Cup. Reports suggest that the remainder of the tournament could be held in UAE later this year, where the ICC is also contemplating hosting the T20 World Cup in case the ongoing COVID-19 situation remains grim in India. 

(Image Credit: AP/PTI/Twitter/IPL)