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England’s white-ball captain, Jos Buttler, has opined that the Indian Premier League (IPL) should not collide with international cricket. However, he backed England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)’s decision to withdraw its players from the remainder of the IPL 204 in favour of national duty against Pakistan. This move has left several franchises missing key players during the crucial playoff stage.
National Duty over IPL 2024 Playoffs
Buttler, who opens the batting for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL, will be absent for their Eliminator match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Wednesday.
“Look, as an England captain, my main priority is to be playing for England,” Buttler said, while addressing the reporters at Headingley on Tuesday.
Also WATCH: ‘Facetime me with the trophy’: Jos Buttler’s message before leaving the Rajasthan Royals camp for England duty | IPL 2024
Other England players who will be missing the IPL play-offs include Phil Salt, Will Jacks and Reece Topley.
“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.
England’s T20I series against Pakistan kicks off today (May 22), with the English IPL players joining their national squad for this crucial lead-up to the T20 World Cup.
England’s squad For Pakistan T20Is
Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (wicket-keeper), Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Also READ: ENG vs PAK, 2024 – England’s best playing XI for the T20I series against Pakistan