Joe Root has previously expressed interest in playing in the IPL

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

England head coach Trevor Bayliss has urged captain Joe Root not to make himself available for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

A number of England players are expected to feature in the IPL player auction on January 27 and 28, including all-rounder Ben Stokes, who last played international cricket in September as he is waiting to see if he will be charged with actual bodily harm following a street brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol.

It remains unclear whether Root will sign up for the tournament, which is renowned for handing out lucrative deals, but Bayliss believes it wouldn’t be wise for Root to travel to India as the IPL begins the day after England’s tour of New Zealand concludes on April 3.

Furthermore, England have a hectic summer at home that will see them play a lot of cricket in such a short period of time.

England will host Pakistan for a Test series before Australia visit for a limited overs affair. India will then roll into town for a full series that will consist of three Twenty20 Internationals, three ODIs and five Tests.

With England’s summer only concluding in September, Bayliss admitted that Root risks getting burned out if he were to participate in the IPL.

“We had that discussion a few days ago, I suggested to him that he shouldn’t play, that he should have a break,” Bayliss was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “He feels that whenever he’s had a break in the last couple of years, it’s always been a T20 series. He wants to play in 50-over World Cups and T20 World Cups.

“He thinks if he keeps missing all the T20 cricket he’s just going to fall behind and not be up to speed when those come along.

“It’s just a Catch-22 situation. There are difficult decisions to make. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”