Jos Buttler, defending the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to recall its players from the IPL 2024 for national duty, emphasized that international cricket should not clash with the Indian T20 league.
Several England players, including Buttler, Will Jacks, Reece Topley, Phil Salt, Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow, and Liam Livingstone, departed the IPL before the playoffs to join a home T20I series against Pakistan. England faces Pakistan in the first of four T20s in Leeds on Wednesday.
“As an England captain, my main priority is to be playing for England,” Buttler stated. “There shouldn’t be any international cricket that clashes with the IPL. Leading into a World Cup, your No. 1 priority is playing for England and performing for England. This is the best preparation.”
Sam Curran, representing Punjab Kings in the IPL, supported the ECB’s decision. “It was probably the right thing for us all to come back. It was only fair for all franchises to lose a player each,” Curran said, noting that it would have been unfair if some franchises retained their players while others did not.
IPL Governing Council chairman Arun Dhumal expressed regret over the situation, explaining that a change in ECB leadership led to a lack of awareness about the bilateral series, causing the confusion. “It was given as a commitment that they will be available for the entire tournament. It was indeed very unfortunate with the way things happened this time around,” Dhumal stated.
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