England's IPL players
The news that England's players will be available for 3 weeks of the 2009 IPL and for some of the 2010 competition means that some of the best players can look forward to making huge amounts of money for very little work. The question is, who might be wanted by the IPL franchises?
When you're looking at any form of cricket the top two names on the England list are always Pietersen and Flintoff. So those two are automatic. But when Lalit Modi talks about 4 or 5 England players, who else might he be considering? Samit Patel has already made himself available and is a good shout, although his bowling in India recently did him no favours. On that tour Owais Shah and Graeme Swann certainly put good cases forward (although Swann came through in the Tests rather than the Twenty20 and ODIs), as did Stuart Broad. Rumour also has it that Ravi Bopara is in with a shout.
While he's not been in great form lately, I'd still put Collingwood right up there, so for me the England players who might realistically put themselves forward and expect a contract (not including Patel who's already on the list, and also not including Mascarenas and Napier who are already spoken for) are: Pietersen, Flintoff, Shah, Collingwood, Broad. The two outside bets might be Bopara and Swann. Others like Harmison, Bell or Anderson may feel they have a chance but I don't think any franchise will get a good return on them.
Who do you think will get an IPL contract from the England side?
6 comments:
Anderson's good fielding might mean he gets one, although comparatively poorly paid. I'd put Bopara ahead of Collingwood as he has many more years ahead of him so will be more valuable longer-term.
How about Vaughan to star in the IPL (maybe as a bowler) and then be selected for the ashes...
Even I (being a big Vaughan fan) think that's a bit far-fetched Winks!!
I really hope that they take Bell and he likes it so much he decides to stay for the whole tournament and foregoes his England career. Please, please, please!
Some of the names being suggested now from outside the England squad are just comical! Dominic Cork, Sajid Mahmood, Ed Joyce, Darren Gough, Rob Key and James Foster.
Surely only Foster and Key of that list have any chance of a franchise showing any interest in them?
Although Prior has never reallt come off for England I still think he'd be an attractive signing
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