Following the shock cancellation of the 5th and final Test between England and India at the Old Trafford on Friday, questions were raised whether the match was called off as cricketers didn't want to take a chance with the IPL round the corner.
But England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison flatly denied that the looming restart of the suspended IPL had anything to do with the decision. He said that this is not a situation which has been created by the rescheduled IPL, which he fundamentally does not believe for a second.
The match was called off just two hours before play was due to begin and It was suggested in some circles that the game would have gone ahead had it not been the case that the India squad are due to leave England on Wednesday to prepare for the IPL restart.