Reports: Top Australian players likely to skip white-ball leg of Pakistan tour to join IPL 2022

Australia might miss the services of few top players during their limited over series with Pakistan to be played next month. Aussies will tour Pakistan to play a total of three Tests and equal number of ODIs apart from one T20I.

It is expected that a few prominent Australian players will pull out of the white-ball series against the home side, as they can ensure a longer participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL).  The home side will square-off against Australia in a three match Test series starting from March 4 till March 25. The limited over series will start from March 29 to April 5.

Contracted players will not be available for IPL till April 6: Cricket Australia (CA)

“None of the contracted players will be available for the IPL before April 6, whether they are playing in the white-ball series (vs Pakistan) or not,” a spokesman for the CA told Cricbuzz on Monday.

“There is a bit of optics involved here,” an official from a franchise, which has a top Australian cricketer in the squad, he added. “The CA would not permit their contracted players to participate in the IPL before April 5 but the players would come here and complete the required bio-security protocols meanwhile.

It is remains to be seen if Aussie players contracted in one of the biggest league in the world will leave an international series to ensure their participation straightaway from April 6.

Thirteen Australians are a part of the IPL in the coming season – Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders), Matthew Wade (Gujarat Titans), Nathan Coulter-Nile (Rajasthan Royals), Nathan Ellis (Punjab Kings), Riley Meredith (Mumbai Indians), Sean Abbott (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders), Jason Behrendorff (Royals Challengers Bangalore), Daniel Sams (Mumbai Indians), Josh Hazlewood (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Mitchell Marsh (Delhi Capitals), David Warner (Delhi Capitals), Glenn Maxwell (retained, Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Marcus Stoinis (retained, Lucknow Super Giants).