According to reports, the Rajasthan Royals are attempting to tie Buttler down to a longer-term contract, although the offer has yet to be properly submitted.
Rajasthan Royals of the Indian Premier League are likely to offer England’s limited overs captain Jos Buttler a lucrative multi-year contract, according to the British daily ‘Telegraph’ on Thursday. With the majority of IPL franchises owning partial or full stakes in various private T20 leagues, there is a potential threat to the game’s current structure, with fears that many top international players will forego their central contracts to sign football club-like deals with a single club (franchise) to appear in various tournaments.
According to ‘The Telegraph,’ RR is attempting to tie Buttler down to a longer-term contract, but the offer has yet to be formally put, and it is unclear whether the batsman will sign the arrangement.
“England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler is set to be offered a landmark four-year deal by his Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals,” the article added. “It is understood that the offer to Buttler has yet to be formally tabled, and it is unclear whether the T20 World Cup-winning captain intends to accept the deal.” The actual amount is unknown.
Buttler has been a run machine for RR, scoring five tonnes and 18 half-centuries in 71 appearances since joining in 2018.
Buttler also plays in the SA20 for Paarl Royals, which is also owned by Rajasthan Royals. RR also owns the Caribbean Premier League’s Barbados Royals.
T20 league expansion has had an impact on international cricket, with teams providing long-term contracts to elite players.
In recent months, there has been speculation of the Mumbai Indians proposing a multi-year contract to England star pacer Jofra Archer, who has only played 5 games for them owing to injuries since being purchased for Rs 8 crore in the 2022 auction.
If a player accepts a long-term contract, international cricket boards may need to request permission from private franchises to use their services for national duty in the future.
Other notable matches that the ICC did not include in their list were contests between England and Australia in Ahmedabad on November 4th, as the two Ashes rivals will face off with the possibility of qualification on the line for at least one, if not both — a match that will undoubtedly be tense and exciting to watch. In other news, England will meet India in Lucknow on October 29 in a match that might be equally significant. The two teams had a spectacular tied encounter in Nagpur during the 2011 World Cup, and this may be similar.
The penultimate encounter of the league stages is England vs. Pakistan, and supporters will be hoping it comes down to that match, if only for pure dramatic entertainment. The match between India and New Zealand in Dharamsala will be played in circumstances favourable to the Kiwi seam attack, and India will try to bury their 2019 demons by defeating the team who defeated them in the semifinals earlier in this tournament.
