Sourav Ganguly’s apprehensions came true on Tuesday when Ashley Giles, managing director of England men’s cricket, confirmed his players will not be released from international duty if the remainder of the IPL is held later this year.

The IPL, which was suspended earlier this month following positive Covid-19 cases inside the bio-security bubble, is expected to resume in the second half of September after India’s Test series in England and before the T20 World Cup in October.

Sourav, the BCCI chief, had earlier told The Telegraph that they would talk to other boards to see if they can fit the remainder of the IPL in that window.

“There has got to be a lot of shuffling... We have to speak to other boards and see if a window can be made available…,” Sourav had said.

The end-September window coincides with England’s white ball tour to Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“A rearranged IPL ... none of us knows what that looks like at the moment, where it’s going to be, or when or if, but from when we start this summer against New Zealand our programme is incredibly busy. Within that we’re going to have to look after our players. We’ve got a lot of important high profile cricket, including a T20 World Cup and Ashes, so we’re planning on the involvement of England players in England matches,” Giles was quoted as saying.

The BCCI hasn’t decided on the venue yet but the UAE is the top pick for completing the remaining 31 matches of the IPL in a 20-day window.

There was no official word from the BCCI but sources told The Telegraph that they are not reading much into Giles’ assertion. Sourav and Board secretary Jay Shah are scheduled to be in England during the World Test Championship final from June 18 and will meet their ECB counterparts during the visit.

“There’s time and let’s see what happens. We will be speaking to ECB. Hopefully something can be worked out,” said the source.

Among the options that are being considered are deferring the Bangladesh limited overs series. “We can speak to both the ECB and Bangladesh boards and work out a solution. Don’t forget the IPL would serve as the perfect warm-up for all the players participating in the World T20 because of its competitive nature,” the source maintained.

Given BCCI’s warm relations with both the ECB and the Bangladesh board, such a solution can’t be ruled out.

Medical tests

The BCCI, meanwhile, is planning to send medical teams to the houses of each member of the England-bound contingent to get their RT-PCR tests done before they enter the bio-security bubble in India. This is being done to ensure that none of the players and support staff carry any infection.

A 14-day quarantine is being planned in India before the squad flies to England where they will have to serve another 10-day quarantine.

Since it will be a bubble-to-bubble transfer via charter flight to England, the BCCI is insisting on soft quarantine measures which include practice facilities on reaching Southampton.

The International Cricket Council, organisers of the WTC final, is still waiting for a nod from the UK government in this regard.