England men’s T20 cricket team captain Jos Buttler has said international cricket should not clash with the Indian Premier League (IPL), amid criticism coming his way that he left Rajasthan Royals (RR) when the franchise needed him during the playoffs.
Buttler defended the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to pull him out of the franchise tournament, saying his priority remained his country.
ALSO READ | IPL 2024: Watch | Shah Rukh Khan’s endearing apology after crashing post-match live show
“I said, ‘Look, as an England captain, my main priority is to be playing for England,’” Buttler told reporters on Tuesday.
“It’s my personal opinion that there shouldn’t be any international cricket that clashes with the IPL. I think that these games have been in the calendar for a long time. Of course, leading into a World Cup, your No. 1 priority is playing for England and performing for England. I feel like this is the best preparation,” he added.
While IPL 2024 playoffs began on May 21, the first of the four T20Is between England and Pakistan gets underway on May 22 in Leeds.
Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals), Phil Salt (Kolkata Knight Riders), Moeen Ali (Chennai Super Kings), Reece Topley (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Will Jacks (RCB) are among players who will be missing the playoffs for their respective franchises.
‘Shouldn’t bother coming’
Buttler’s statement came after former Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram said that players should come for the entirety of the IPL or should not bother coming.
“If you cut salaries, will it affect anything if your team doesn’t win after reaching the playoffs? You’ve put in all the hard work and in the last hurdle, your boys leave because they have to play for the country. It’s not fair,” said Akram.
“This is what you play for. That’s why it’s frustrating not just for fans but owners, and captains of the teams for any league. So, I agree with Irfan [Pathan], come for the entire tournament otherwise don’t come,” he added.
Previously, legendary Indian opener, Sunil Gavaskar, had called for a substantial pay cut for overseas players who cut short their IPL campaign for national duties or whatever reasons.
“I am all for players choosing country before anything else, but having assured various franchises about their availability for the full season, if they pull out now, it will be letting down the franchises which probably pay them more money in one IPL season, which they don’t earn in a few seasons with their country,” Gavaskar said.
The T20 World Cup takes place in the Caribbean and USA, starting June 1, with 20 teams in the fray.
Apart from England, players from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also left IPL midway to join their respective national teams, leading to more outrage amongst the IPL fans.
You can now write for Baazigarnews.com and be a part of the Baazigar family. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
