ECB Schedule Forcing England Players To Opt Out Of IPL

Professional Cricketers' Association CEO Angus Porter said that "players remain frustrated at the lack of opportunities to play in the Indian Premier League," according to Richard Hobson of the LONDON TIMES. Porter said that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) "must get to grips with the reality of the IPL or face threats to the English season." Only two of the England squad in India, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan, "are due to return for the lucrative event in April." The '13 tournament runs from April 3-May 26, and England players must be home for at least one first-class match before the start of the Test series against New Zealand on May 16. Terms of central contracts agreed for '11-13 "are being renegotiated" to last for at least three years from October. Participation in the IPL "will be a sensitive area for discussion." One leading agent with players in India said that "lengthening the period of availability will form part of the talks." Porter said, "Players are not militant to the point where they will contemplate industrial action, but it is something the authorities have to get to grips with" (LONDON TIMES, 11/13).