September match could clash with plans for restarted IPLECB says schedule is ‘long agreed’, expected to resist changesEnglish cricket’s relationship with
India faces a potential fork in the road following an informal request to move the fifth Test in September to the start of the series – or even cancel it altogether – in order to complete the Indian
Premier League.
The IPL was suspended on 4 May amid an outbreak of Covid-19 among the franchises. But with the 31 IPL games still to be played worth an estimated £200m in broadcast money to the Board of Control for
Cricket in India, the motivation to complete the 2021 season is obvious.