Patel withdraws from IPL auction

(BBC) Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League auction to focus his efforts on winning a place in England’s Test side.

The 26-year-old’s representatives had held talks with several franchises.
But after playing in England’s last six one-day internationals, he has pulled out of the IPL to push his Test claims.

“My biggest ambition is to play Test cricket and I need to score a high volume of runs in the Championship to push my case,” said Patel.

“If I was selected for the IPL then I would miss several Championship matches and that won’t help me at a time when I need to do everything I can to impress the selectors.

Before this year, Patel made all his previous one-day international appearances in 2008.
“I have listened to the advice from people that I trust and it is clear that this decision is the right one to have made for cricket reasons.

“The IPL is an exciting tournament and I would like to be involved in it in the future but not to the detriment of my England ambitions.”

Patel returned to England’s one-day international side during the summer after nearly three years in exile because of concerns about his fitness.