The Indian cricket team's refusal to feature in the 5th and final Test against England at Manchester has strained relationships between the two teams. While many in the English cricket fraternity are criticising Virat Kohli & Co., some are reportedly even looking to pull out from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.As per a report in The Sun, some members of the England team claim that they had even spotted the Indian players roaming around in Manchester on Thursday even though they were supposed to remain inside their hotel rooms due to the Covid-19 scenario in the camp.
The cancellation of the Test is said to cost the ECB and others involved in organising the match several millions of pounds. What has infuriated the hosts most is the fact that the match could've been deferred by a day or two if the resumption of IPL 2021 on September 19 wasn't at stake. While the BCCI is busy planning its players' departure from the UK to UAE, 5 England Test players are also supposed to participate in the T20 league. At least one of those five players Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan and Chris Woakes is said to be thinking of pulling out from IPL because of the 5th Test's cancellation. The aforementioned five England players are supposed to travel to UAE with the Indian contingent and serve 6 days of quarantine upon their arrival. IPL is set to begin from September 15 with a blockbuster clash between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
