On Tuesday, April 30, the England Cricket Board (ECB) announced England's 15-man squad that will aim to defend their T20 World Cup crown at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.
Jos Buttler is set to lead the side, with Moeen Ali named as his right-hand man. Jofra Archer was named in the squad, too, in what was a surprise inclusion.
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However, the English players currently plying their trade in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) are set to depart for home before the playoffs begin on May 21.
READ MORE: 2024 T20 World Cup schedule
Why will England players miss the IPL 2024 playoffs?
The English players who have been selected in the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup and are currently playing in the IPL will be heading back to the United Kingdom before May 21.
England are set to host Pakistan in a four-match T20I series that begins on May 22 and ends on May 30. It is set to help the team figure out the best combination ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. It is expected that the English contingent presently featuring in IPL will fly back to UK by May 18 or 19.
"You can't just call people back for no reasons: there are protections," said Rob Key, England's managing director, on Tuesday.
"Without injury or England commitments, we couldn't say to Phil Salt, for example, come back and have a rest for the next 15 days. But there is a window just before an England series when you can bring players back for England duty or injury.
According to Indian media outlet, Times of India (TOI), BCCI has been negotiating with the ECB to secure the availability of English players for the IPL playoffs.
The BCCI is negotiating with the ECB to secure England players availability at a crucial time of IPL 2024. (TOI). pic.twitter.com/fW6MFbTD4g
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 6, 2024
What else did Rob Key say about England players returning from IPL?
Key mentioned the need for the England players who will play at the 2024 T20 World Cup to play together before the tournament, as it would help them get a better understanding of their roles within the team.
We've got to the point where actually, we think it's more important that you come back and that group gets together: the likes of Phil Salt, opening the batting for England, getting that role going with Jos Buttler.
You just want them to get together and spend a bit of time and build up to it. So much of what our white-ball team has done has been turning up a couple of days before and, bang, we're into a series, whereas I think that Pakistan series is going to be important for that, so they'll all come back ready for that.
You want people to really start understanding what their roles are, what your best XI is going to be, and that's what we want to make sure: when we hit Barbados, we know exactly what that is. Last time, for the [50-over] World Cup, Adil Rashid was injured in that series versus New Zealand and we probably didn't take into account how much, when he came back, that altered the balance.
Which England players selected for the T20 World Cup are playing in IPL 2024?
The English players currently participating in IPL 2024 are as follows:
- Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)
- Phil Salt (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Moeen Ali (Chennai Super Kings)
- Will Jacks (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
- Reece Topley (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
- Sam Curran (Punjab Kings)
- Liam Livingstone (Punjab Kings)
- Jonny Bairstow (Punjab Kings)