IPL 2024: How the England players leaving for national duties will impact the ongoing IPL? List of players leaving and Team-wise analysis of the impact.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become one of the most talked about T20 leagues in world cricket with the presence of cricketers from across the globe. These are not ordinary players but those who are in the peak of their careers, often cornerstones of their respective national teams.
Apart from the Indian players, cricketers from England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies and Australia fall in this bracket. They are the ones who make the IPL what it is and offer the best form of competition.
However, with the seventeenth edition of IPL coming to a close, and the fact that ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is also round the corner, England Cricket Board (ECB) has asked its players to return home for World Cup preparations. While the IPL is set to conclude with the final on May 26, the World Cup starts on June 1.
This means England players who are part of the IPL 2024 will start to leave the tournament one by one as early as this week. Cricketers like England skipper Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks and Reece Topley have left already. The likes of Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow and Phil Salt are expected to leave for the UK later this week.
As a result, the teams who are in contention for playoffs will be without some of their key overseas stars. So here are the sides that might be hard done by and feel depleted with England players missing the playoffs.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - Phil Salt
KKR openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine have taken the IPL 2024 by storm, thanks to their consistent dominant performance at the top. The pair has amassed over 500 runs together at the top of the order and this was instrumental in the side reaching the playoffs.
However with Salt included in England’s World Cup squad, he is part of their IPL exodus group. As a result, KKR will be without the services of their in-form opening batter for the knockout phase of the tournament. This leaves the table toppers with a lot of things to ponder as to who should open with Narine.
Read More: IPL 2024, KKR vs LSG: Salt bludgeons LSG with 89* after Starc's impressive 3-28; KKR onto 8 points
Rajasthan Royals (RR) – Jos Buttler
The England skipper has already left for England to begin his World Cup preparations. This has created a major void in the camp as Jos Buttler was their designated opener alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.
With the Royals losing three matches on the bounce, Buttler’s presence in the playing XI would be a prerequisite now more than ever. But it would not be the case. RR will need a new opening partner for Jaiswal in their quest to first qualify for the playoffs and then winning the tournament. At present RR are in second place with 16 points and still have two games left.
Read More: IPL 2024: Buttler's 2 hundreds have come batting second; What makes him a gritty customer in chases?
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – Moeen Ali
The defending champions CSK are already without two of their overseas pacers Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman for the rest of the tournament. Now adding to the woes, their overseas all-rounder - experienced Moeen Ali is all set to leave the CSK camp in the next few days.
CSK is one of the teams that are in contention for a playoff spot. All they need is a win against RCB in their league game to qualify for the next round. As per the developments, CSK are all set to be without at least three of their overseas players including Moeen Ali, come the playoffs.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – Will Jacks and Reece Topley
RCB have made a dream comeback in this IPL after winning their last five games on the trot, putting themselves in the playoff contention. One of the architects for their stunning turnaround is Will Jacks.
The all-rounder struck a superlative century against Gujarat Titans (GT) and looked in great touch in the rest of the games. But now he, along with Reece Topley, will miss RCB’s last league game against CSK and the playoffs that follow if they qualify.
Rest of the England players namely Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow are all from Punjab Kings (PBKS) who are already eliminated. So their absence won’t do them much damage.
These players, leaving the IPL without completion, do not only impact the involved teams but also IPL as a whole. With that being said, it is high time that the BCCI considers the international calendar before scheduling the IPL. They should look to create some sort of a buffer between IPL and any of the international cricket events to follow. The same thing happened earlier when there was very little time between the completion of IPL in 2023 and the start of World Test Championship Final.
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