The second phase of the 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in wake of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in India.

Phase 2 of IPL 2021 will begin on September 19 with a clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings.

The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has announced that qualifier 1 would be played on October 10 in Dubai while the eliminator would be held at Sharjah on October 11.

The second qualifier would be played at Sharjah only on October 13 while the final would be held in Dubai on October 15.

The fans are excited that phase 2 of IPL 2021 will begin soon. However, several international cricketers have made them unavailable for IPL 2021 phase 2 due to prior commitments and the busy global cricketing schedule.

Following is the full list of international players who have pulled out of the upcoming second phase of the IPL 2021:

* Jos Butler (Rajasthan Royals)

* Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)

* Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)

* Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders)

* Adam Zampa (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

* Riley Meredith (Punjab Kings)

* Jhye Richardson (Punjab Kings)

* Steve Smith (Delhi Capitals)

The IPL 2021 was scheduled to be held in India in April and May. However, it was postponed after multiple cases emerged in bio-bubbles of the teams. Later, the BCCI had announced that the IPL 2021 phase 2 would be held in the UAE -- Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dabi -- like last year.

However, spectators are unlikely to be allowed amid fears over the COVID-19 crisis. "The only issue is about the spectators, whether they will allow the spectators or not. So we will talk to them about that. We will go by whatever UAE authorities decide," BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla had told media.

(With inputs from agencies)