IPL teams are in a spot of bother ahead of the auction, which is slated for February 20. There are a number of South Africa players including Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir, who are strong favourites to land a major deal, but that has come into jeopardy with the Proteas' players likely to leave the competition halfway.
As per a Mumbai Mirror report, South Africa players participating in IPL have to return to their home soil after May 8.
The IPL is a 50-day event, starting April 5, and if they go around the mentioned date of May 8, South Africa players may not be available in the business end of IPL 2017, when the competition is really intense.
One of the important criteria for a cricketer to be picked up in the IPL auction has been his availability, and franchises have gone against selecting a star if he is not available for the entire length of the competition. To be fair, it makes absolute sense not to buy a cricketer, who will leave the IPL 2017 midway, especially considering the wealth of options, which will be made available in the auction pool.
No official word has come regarding the availability of the South Africa players for IPL 2017, and franchises have asked the BCCI to inform them about the same. The only question, which the franchises need answered -- till when are they available as it has been confirmed that the Proteas players will not feature for full in IPL 2017.
"We're aware that they will have to come back early. I can't say when," Mumbai Mirror quoted Tony Irish South African Cricketers Association as saying.
This should not come as a huge surprise as last month AB de Villiers had stated that the South Africa players were going to leave IPL 2017 early to prepare for Champions Trophy.
As of now, there are a number of South Africa players in IPL 2017 including AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, Faf Du Plessis, David Miller and Chris Morris. The franchises may not be able to do anything with these players, but if the BCCI confirms about South Africa players leaving midway, it makes good sense to draw a blind eye toward South Africa players in the auction if possible.
