As the England Cricket Board (ECB) announced its squad for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) received the expected news of the departure of their star player, Jos Buttler. The playoff-bound side will be without the services of Buttler, who has left the RR camp ahead of the tournament’s business end on Monday. England’s World Cup-bound players, including Buttler, will miss the remaining matches of the IPL 2024 due to their international commitments.
Under Buttler’s leadership, the defending T20 World Cup champions will prepare for the ICC event with a series of matches against Pakistan, led by Babar Azam. The ECB confirmed that the selected players will return in time for the series against Pakistan, which commences at Headingley on Wednesday next week.
The Rajasthan Royals confirmed Buttler’s departure through a heartfelt video shared on their social media handles. ‘We’ll miss you, Jos bhai!,’ the caption read, accompanied by a video featuring the England skipper. ‘Facetime me with the trophy. Yeah?’ Buttler said in the video.
Buttler has been instrumental in RR’s success this season, helping them become a strong contender for the IPL 2024 playoffs. In his final appearance for RR, Buttler scored 21 off 25 balls against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk on Sunday. Despite his efforts, CSK emerged victorious by five wickets, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Buttler’s departure is not the only one for England players. Liam Livingstone, the Punjab Kings all-rounder, has also returned home from the IPL 2024 to join the national team. Livingstone’s PBKS side failed to secure a spot in the playoffs. ‘IPL done for another year, had to get my knee sorted for the upcoming World Cup,’ Livingstone said. ‘Thanks once again to the Punjab Kings fans for all their love and support. Disappointing season as a team and personally, but as always, I loved every minute of playing in the IPL,’ he added.
Livingstone will undergo knee rehabilitation before the T20 World Cup.
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