IPL 2021: Punjab Kings sign Nathan Elis as Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith ruled out of Phase 2 – Punjab Kings have roped in Nathan Elis after Australian pace duo of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith pulled out of IPL 2021 Phase 2. The franchise will announce the other replacement in the coming days, meaning they have got an extension of the August 20 deadline to submit the final squad for 31 remaining matches.
A new 🦁 from Down Under is here with an important message 🗣 😍
Drop a ❤️ to welcome him to #SaddaSquad! ⤵️#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/xwINPPafSm
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) August 20, 2021
IPL 2021 Phase 2: The fact that Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson informed Punjab Kings just a day before the squad submission deadline had put them in a difficult situation. Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon confirmed to InsideSport that the pacers had informed them about not returning. However, they are still in talks and nothing is finalised yet.
“We were not aware of the fitness status of Jhye and Riley till yesterday (August 18). That they cannot be part of the IPL was known only after the Cricket Australia press conference. We have signed Elis as a replacement player. We will announce the second replacement in a day or two. We are in talks with a few players. Anil (Kumble, the head coach) will finalise soon,” Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon said.
On Friday afternoon, InsideSport reported that both Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith won’t be returning for IPL 2021 Phase 2. “Yes, we have only been informed about their not returning last night. But we are still in talks with Riley and Jhye and nothing is yet finalised. We are hopeful of finding a solution and hope to see them return in UAE,” Satish Menon told InsideSport.
Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed franchises that they all have to submit the final squad for the remaining 31 matches by August 20. As BCCI informed about foreign players availability only in August 1st week, it has put many franchises on the backfoot.
The primary problem for franchises is that both England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) have left it on the players to decide on IPL return. As the teams had only about two weeks to negotiate and confirm with individual players, some franchises have been seeking an extension to the August 20 deadline.
One of the franchise officials confirmed to InsideSport.co on Wednesday that talks are ongoing with some players yet to confirm their return for IPL 2021 Phase 2.
“We have to submit the squad by August 20 but I can’t confirm whether all foreign players will be available. We are still in talks with some players. The good thing is that the T20 World Cup will be held in UAE and that gives us confidence that all players will be available but we are still waiting on some players’ final confirmation,” one of the franchise officials told InsideSport on Wednesday.
IPL 2021 Phase 2: The other problem was that the confirmed future tour program had forced BCCI to a lengthy negotiation with fellow cricket boards. Australia were set for a tri-series in the UAE after series against Pakistan while England were supposed to tour Bangladesh. But now that both tri-series and England’s Bangladesh tour have been postponed, the players have received NOCs to play in the IPL 2021 Phase 2.
The fact that the franchises were waiting for an official confirmation on foreign players availability for over three months made it difficult for them to go after replacement players.
“Yes, BCCI’s delay in responding officially did play a part in last-minute hassle. We kept hearing about players’ availability in the news but BCCI only confirmed that officially in August. That’s why the August 20 deadline is a little early for us. But if that’s the norm, we will adhere to that,” another franchise official told InsideSport.co on Wednesday.
