Maxwell’s Presence for the Pakistan Tour and Start of IPL in Doubt

One date that is certainly written down in heavy ink in the diaries of cricket fans and cricket bettors across India, will be the start of the Indian Premier League, scheduled to start at the beginning of April.

With the Mega Auction taking place on the 12th and 13th February, the top teams in India were looking through all the best available players, from India and overseas, that could potentially have a positive impact on the squad. Some big names from Australia cricketing have taken up significant roles in the team, with Glenn Maxwell currently being in the picture for the captaincy of the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the upcoming season. He announced back in November that, due to his upcoming nuptials in March 2022, he would be missing the Pakistan tour playing for the Australian international team. However, because the IPL 2022 is scheduled to start early this season, it also seems that he is unlikely to make the beginning of the 2022 IPL season.

Maxwell, it seems, won’t be the only Australian missing out the start of the IPL though – as his fellow countrymen Daniel Sams, David Warner, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood will also be unavailable, as they will be on international duty in Pakistan until the final T20I is played on 5th April.

A WEDDING DATE TO REMEMBER

So, while his Australian teammates are out of the start of the IPL due to clashing cricket engagements, it is an altogether different kind of engagement that will keep the potential Royal Challengers Bangalore captain from the league start.

During the start of the third T20I against Sri Lanka, Maxwell explained that because of the continual changes to the cricket schedules, clashes were unavoidable, despite having consulted with cricket Australia before setting the date.

This is an unfortunate three way clash for the Aussie, who explained that when he originally organised the date of his wedding, there was a two-week window when it would be possible to hold the ceremony. So, when it was originally booked, he was content that this date meant he would be missing none of the series. However, later that year, they confirmed new dates for the Pakistan series – and this was very different from the dates discussed previously. Unfortunately, with everything booked, nothing could be done.

TEAMMATES RICHARDSON AND ZAMPA ALSO MISSING FROM THE IPL

Fortunately, it seems that it is only the start of the IPL that Maxwell will be missing. Unfortunately, his fellow Australian, Kane Richardson, looks as though he will be missing the entire year, after being left in the sidelines at the IPL auction – surprising given that he had just been named Player of the Match in Canberra, having taken 3 for 21.

Richardson, along with Zampa, were left unsold at the IPL auction, despite impressing fans with outstanding play during the T20 World Cup. The question was raised over whether this decision was impacted by the fact that the pair opted to leave the IPL early last year – just before the tournament was postponed due to the pandemic.

Despite the fact that Richardson wasn’t surprised that he was left unsold, he was certainly taken by surprise when his unsold status was shared with Zampa. He did, however, concede that before taking the decision to leave the IPL early last season, the two players did have the discussion that this may well have a negative impact on them for the following season. Despite this possibility, they decided that their main priority was to get back to Australia and face any consequences later. It seems those consequences are being faced now – as it’s likely that buyers out there were concerned that they might again prioritise a return to their country over their team again if the situation was repeated.

However, this is unconfirmed – as, ultimately, the reasons that the two players weren’t picked hasn’t been confirmed and are simply just speculation for now. Richardson does say that although he hopes he hasn’t damaged his cricketing reputation, he has no regrets as his priority is always going to be his family. This wasn’t helped by the fact that he didn’t go the previous season because of the birth of his son. So, he has probably picked up a reputation in recent years as being a no-show. This is simply down to personal and global circumstances, but it’s now a reputation he wants to shake off.

WILL THE IPL SUFFER?

So, what does this mean for the start of the IPL? Well, there is no doubt that the Australian contingency will certainly be missed as the season opens, but fortunately, most will be returning to action in just a week or two – and then the show can really get started, with Maxwell and co joining the action. As for Richardson and Zampa – maybe next season, but who knows – all cricket bets are on!