The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee was reportedly set to name the India A squad for the tour series against England Lions on Thursday, but the BCCI's latest move has caused a delay in the announcement. On Monday, the Indian board revealed the 2025 season of the IPL, which was suspended last week amid the escalating tension between India and Pakistan, will resume on May 17, with the final pushed back to June 3. According to a report in the Times of India, the announcement left selectors in a muddle over picking the India A squad owing to a clash with the IPL dates.
India A will play three tour games in the tour of England - two against the England Lions, between May 30 and June 9, and one against the senior Indian team, on June 13. However, with the dates clashing with the IPL, selectors are facing a headache on the availability of the players for the India A series.
One of the key players who could likely miss out on the series, or at least the start of it, will be Karun Nair with his franchise, Delhi Capitals, on the verge of making it through to the playoffs. If Delhi qualify for the final, he could even possibly miss the second India A game.
"The problem is that quite a few players, who are supposed to be picked for the India A tour, will be busy for their franchises as the IPL playoffs start only from May 29. In such a scenario, those players whose teams make it to the playoffs are likely to miss at least the initial part of the India A tour of England. Right now, we don’t have complete clarity on which teams will make the playoffs and which won't. For example, can the selectors pick Karun Nair, whose team Delhi Capitals is in the race for a playoffs berth? I guess we will have to wait for a few days for more clarity on the availability of the players, as the IPL scenario will become clearer," a reliable source in told TOI.
{{/usCountry}}"The problem is that quite a few players, who are supposed to be picked for the India A tour, will be busy for their franchises as the IPL playoffs start only from May 29. In such a scenario, those players whose teams make it to the playoffs are likely to miss at least the initial part of the India A tour of England. Right now, we don’t have complete clarity on which teams will make the playoffs and which won't. For example, can the selectors pick Karun Nair, whose team Delhi Capitals is in the race for a playoffs berth? I guess we will have to wait for a few days for more clarity on the availability of the players, as the IPL scenario will become clearer," a reliable source in told TOI.
{{/usCountry}}The India A series will be crucial for Nair, who will be looking to make it to the senior side after almost a decade, on the back of a stellar season in Ranji Trophy, where he scored 863 runs at an average of 53.93, with four centuries and two fifties.
The report further said that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel will be part of the India A series and are will play all three games, given that Rajasthan Royals are already out of contention to make the playoffs.
"Jaiswal and Jurel are likely to be there as their team (Rajasthan Royals) is not in contention for an IPL playoffs berth. The selectors are keen that Jaiswal gets some match practice in the English conditions before the first Test," he added.