IPL 2024: Jos Buttler And England Players To Miss IPL Playoffs
England have announced their squad under the captaincy of Jos Buttler for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, to be played in the West Indies and the United States of America in June.
The same squad will also take on Pakistan in the upcoming four-match T20I series, starting on May 22 at Headingley in Leeds.
Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and other England players to miss IPL 2024 playoffs
In a press release on Tuesday, the board informed that all the players who have been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 would return back home.
“Selected players, currently playing in the Indian Premier League, will return in time for the series against Pakistan, which gets underway at Headingley on Wednesday, 22 May 2024.
The squad will fly to the Caribbean on May 31 ahead of their opening group fixture against Scotland on June 4, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
This means England captain Jos Buttler, who is one of the key members of the Rajasthan Royals, will miss the last one or two weeks of the IPL 2024. Chennai Super Kings will be without their spin all-rounder Moeen Ali, while the most effect will be on Punjab Kings, who will be without the services of their stand-in captain Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, and Jonny Bairstow.
Royals and Knight Riders were affected the most by the absence of England players
Jos Buttler has been in superb touch in this IPL 2024. He has already celebrated two match-winning centuries in this tournament against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders. In just eight innings, the wicket-keeper batter has smashed 319 runs at a strike rate of 150.47.
With Rajasthan Royals almost certain for a playoff spot, they will feel the absence of Jos Buttler in a crunch situation. The veteran has shown how he could carry the team on his shoulders, and take them over the line single-handedly.
However, Royals can think of using the other England player in their squad- Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who is another exciting player in T20s, with 4734 runs at a strike rate of nearly 140.
Moeen Ali’s absence will be a huge factor for Chennai Super Kings if they finish in the top four. The left-handed batter could come in the middle order and smashed the bowlers for big shots. Chennai have also used him as a spinning option, especially when playing at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
However, they have a like-for-like replacement of Mitchell Santner, who could play a role if required. They can also pick an extra India batter and include Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana.
One of the major blows would be on Kolkata Knight Riders, who would miss their aggressive opener Phil Salt. The batter has already smacked 392 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 180.64, including his four half-centuries. Rahmanullah Gurbaz will open with Sunil Narine if Kolkata reaches the top four.
The playoffs for the IPL 2024 will begin on May 21. The final will be played on May 26, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
