IPL is worth £300 million to the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) and it starts in ten days time, that is the bottom line, for all the reasons and excuses you will hear over the next week, they are all secondary to the above.
All 16 squad members returned negative covid tests yesterday, so not getting a team is a complete smokescreen.
Sadly the ECB will bow down to the greater financial power, lube itself up and take the financial shafting for a back-handed payment somewhere along the line - probably India coming back here next summer to play 5 x 20/20 games.
Test cricket may as well give up, India think their domestic 20/20 league is more important, the ECB moved this years schedule around to accommodate the "Hundred" - money talks at the top and sadly this is the result.