Rajasthan Royals (RR) star batter Jos Buttler has left the IPL 2024 to join the England national team, sparking fresh concerns about English player availability for the playoffs.
Jos Buttler leaves IPL 2024 mid-way for national duty
This comes amidst ongoing discussions between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding English players’ participation in the crucial later stages of the IPL.
Earlier, Buttler had advocated for England players to prioritize national duty and return home before the IPL playoffs to prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup. This stance created friction with the IPL franchises, who rely heavily on their overseas players.
Buttler, who captains England in limited-overs cricket, will now feature in a four-match T20I series against Pakistan starting from May 22.
Also READ: England unveils 15-man squad for T20 World Cup 2024; Jofra Archer returns
RR posted the video of Buttler leaving the camp and captioned it as, ‘We’ll miss you, Jos bhai!”
In the video, the opening batter can be heard saying, “Facetime me with the [IPL] trophy. Yeah,” hinting at the Royals’ strong title aspirations.
We’ll miss you, Jos bhai! 🥺💗 pic.twitter.com/gnnbFgA0o8
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 13, 2024
Rajasthan Royals at second position in points table
After losing to defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday, RR still maintained their second position in the IPL 2024 points-table, currently led by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – the only team to reach the playoffs. The top four teams in the points table will advance to the playoffs, culminating in the final on May 26 in Chennai.
The Rajasthan team won their last IPL title in 2008 under the captaincy of the legendary Shane Warne.
