South African players, who are part of the national one-day international (ODI) squad for the three-match series against Pakistan, will be allowed to leave for Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the series, ESPNcricinfo reported today.
According to the news report, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) has allowed the IPL-bound players to fly to India after the second ODI on April 4.
These include major Proteas stars such as Kagiso Rabada, David Miller, Quinton de Kock, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje. The five players were also not part of the squad for the four Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against Pakistan due to the same reason.
The CSA had explained that a contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was the reason players were allowed to ignore national duty and participate in the T20 tournament.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn was not a fan of the settlement and questioned the absence of senior South African players following squad announcement saying, “I missed the reason why our big dogs aren’t playing the T20s against Pak?
Pakistan’s limited-overs series against the Proteas will begin on April 2 and end on April 16 while IPL starts April 9.
Read: Pakistan's white-ball squad arrives in South Africa
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