Samit Patel, who has introduced his retirement from home cricket, says he “most likely would not have performed” in a disapproved T20 league earlier this 12 months had he identified it might end in a ban.
Former England all-rounder Patel, 41, and Australian bowler Peter Siddle are each unable to play within the T20 Blast this summer season after competing within the World Legends Professional T20 League in Goa.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) says gamers can’t play home cricket for 12 months if they’ve participated in a “disapproved” league equivalent to this.
In consequence, Patel has retired from home cricket in England however says he’ll nonetheless be taking part in franchise cricket elsewhere on the earth.
“I most likely would not have performed it [the World Legends League],” Patel told BBC Sport’s Strategic Timeout programme.
“There was quite a lot of uncertainty about whether or not we might play or not however we won’t get previous that now. It simply introduced these things ahead for me.”
Patel performed 60 occasions for England between 2008 and 2015 and made 629 appearances for Nottinghamshire over 22 years.
He then joined Derbyshire on a two-year white-ball deal in 2024 and was out of contract when he left the membership on the finish of final 12 months’s T20 Blast, however mentioned he would have appreciated “yet another 12 months” of home cricket if he had not been dealt the ban.
“I might have performed this summer season,” he mentioned. “I had some chats with some counties, we weren’t fairly at a contract signing however we have been in talks, so most likely would’ve obtained a last-minute deal someplace.”
Patel and Ravi Bopara, who additionally retired earlier this 12 months, are the one two gamers to have featured in yearly of the Blast because it started in 2003.
