The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajiv Shukla has cleared that the IPL 2021 won’t face any issue even if some of the overseas players are not available.
Shukla further added that the board is focused on completing the tournament and would go ahead with the players who can be available to feature in the remainder of the cash-rich league.
"We have discussed that (availability of foreign players) issue also. Our main focus is on completing this edition of the IPL. It should not be left halfway through. So whichever foreign players are available is fine. Whoever is not available, it is not going to stop us from hosting the tournament," Rajiv Shukla told Khaleej Times on Sunday.
"The Indian players are there, foreign players are there, but few foreign players will not be available. As I said, we have to complete our tournament.”
"So the franchises will definitely look for other players. Whoever is available, we are going to have the tournament with them. That's our policy," Shukla added.
The vice-president further said that the BCCI office-bearers will have a discussion with Emirates Cricket Board before they finalise the schedule.
"We will be having discussions with the cricket board here and the other authorities. And accordingly, the schedule will be made, so the tournament happens in a very smooth manner as it happened here last year (in 2020)," he said.
The IPL 2021 was suspended on May 4 after there was a rise in cases within the franchise teams.