“Worst European country ever in sports history”- ECB confirm star players will be participating in T20Is with Pakistan by missing IPL playoffs, fans react

The ECB has confirmed that these players will return to England on 19th May, the day the last matches of the IPL groups stage is played.

“Worst European country ever in sports history”- ECB confirm star players will be participating in T20Is with Pakistan by missing IPL playoffs, fans react

Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler and Phil Salt (Images via Imago)

England announced their 15-man provisional squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will be captained by Jos Buttler. The side have picked a strong side to defend their title and have decided to bring their players home early for the tournament. 

This means important English players will be missing the 2024 IPL playoffs and the finals games of the group stage. It will heavily affect teams like Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings CSK). 

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KKR could lose opener Phil Salt, who has scored almost 400 runs in 9 innings. Jos Buttler, who opens for RR, will also leave early alongside CSK’s Moeen Ali. Other IPL teams like Punjab Kings and Royal Challenger Bengaluru also employ players from the England squad, but their chances of qualification are low. 

The English players have been instructed to come back on 19th May, the day the last match of the group stage will be played. They will then play Pakistan in a four-match T20 series before leaving for the World Cup. 

Many fans had mixed reactions. Some fans understood how important international cricket is and supported the players. Many joked about the situation, but some were also enraged that the players didn’t honor their contracts. 

Check out their reactions: 

England announce preliminary 15-man-squad for 2024 T20 World Cup 

The England Cricket Board announced their 15-man-squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup ahead of their 4-match-T20 series with Pakistan. The 15-man-squad will be playing in the series with Pakistan as well. 

Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler and Phil Salt
Jofra Archer (Image via Imago)

One of the biggest inclusions in the squad is pacer Jofra Archer. The 29-year-old has been dealing with injuries for the past year and is finally fully fit to play for England. He last played in the IPL for Mumbai Indians in 2023, but was ruled out due to injury.

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

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