LONDON, Dec 21: English county side Nottinghamshire have defied the wishes of some of their England internationals by banning them from playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the club said on Friday.

The new IPL season begins on April 3 and Notts players Alex Hales, Michael Lumb and Samit Patel are all reported to have attracted interest from teams competing in the lucrative competition.

However, Notts are due to start their County Championship campaign just seven days later and the club’s director of cricket, Mick Newell, says the players must make themselves available for domestic duty.

“We were very clear that we expected all of our players to be available to us as we would be severely weakened if we were to lose them for that period of time at that stage of the season,” Newell said.

“The players asked me to consider releasing them to enable them to take part in the IPL, but they are key members of the squad and I explained that we wouldn’t be able to allow them to take part.”

Despite his stance, Newell said that Notts’ other England players, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, will be allowed to play in the IPL because their contacts are managed centrally by the England and Wales Cricket Board.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Slow start
Updated 15 Jun, 2024

Slow start

Despite high attendance, the NA managed to pass only a single money bill during this period.
Sindh lawlessness
Updated 15 Jun, 2024

Sindh lawlessness

A recently released report describes the law and order situation in Karachi as “worryingly poor”.
Punjab budget
15 Jun, 2024

Punjab budget

PUNJAB’S budget for 2024-25 provides much fodder to those who believe that the increased provincial share from the...
Budget and politics
Updated 14 Jun, 2024

Budget and politics

PML-N, scared of taking bold steps lest it loses whatever little public support it has, has left its traditional support — traders — virtually untouched.
New talks?
14 Jun, 2024

New talks?

WILL this prove another false start, or may we expect a more sincere effort this time? Reference is made to the...
A non-starter
14 Jun, 2024

A non-starter

WHILE the UN Security Council had earlier this week adopted a US-backed resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza...