Kevin Pietersen takes dig at England coach's views on IPL, fans call him 'Visionary'

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) appears to be on board with the Indian Premier League (IPL). As reported by The Telegraph, the ECB will be factoring in their player’s schedule in accordance with their IPL commitments. England’s head coach Chris Silverwood, who had earlier prioritised international cricket over franchise cricket, also seems to be on board with the new scheduling design, as per reports.  

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Kevin Pietersen drops gentle update as ECB accepts IPL as “way of life”

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen was among the earliest advocates of IPL from his country. During the earlier years of IPL itself, Pietersen was involved in many bitter rows with his country’s cricket board regarding his and his teammates’ participation in the Indian tournament. Upon learning about ECB’s newfound acceptance of IPL and their willingness to adjust their players’ schedule accordingly, the cricketer-turned-commentator took to Twitter and took a dig at the England team management.

Several fans hailed Kevin Pietersen for “being ahead of time”, claiming that the legendary batsman knew all along about the future of IPL and the place of franchise cricket in the international calendar. Meanwhile, some fans also stated that they would have loved to see Pietersen in ECB’s new plan as opposed to seeing his struggles against the board during his playing days. Here is a look at some of the fans reacting to Kevin Pietersen’s response to ECB’s ‘newfound support for IPL’.

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IPL 2021 auction

The IPL 2021 auction recently got a February 18 date by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The tournament itself is slated to commence just a few days after the conclusion of the India vs England series between February 5 and March 28.

India vs England series

Several England players, including Ben Stokes, have already arrived in India for their upcoming four-match Test series against the hosts. The first of the four Tests will commence from February 5 onwards at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Test series will be followed by five T20Is and three ODIs.

England squad for India Tests 2021

On January 21, the ECB announced a 16-member squad for their first two Tests against India. Jonny Bairstow, who played in Sri Lanka, has been rested and is likely to join the squad from the third Test onwards. Here is a look at the entire England squad for India Tests 2021.

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Image source: IPLT20.COM and ECB Twitter