Jofra Archer received advice from the ECB against participating in the IPL 2024 auction. Reports suggested that the board intended to monitor his workload in preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Archer, who was previously acquired by Mumbai Indians for a substantial INR 8 crore ahead of the 2022 IPL, was recently released by the franchise.
It has to be noted that his name is absent from the list of players registered for the IPL auction scheduled for December 19 in Dubai.
Jofra Archer Will Skip IPL 2024 For Workload Purpose
Dealing with multiple injuries to his back and elbow, Archer was picked by MI in the IPL 2022 auction despite being aware that he wouldn’t play in that edition. While making his comeback in IPL 2023, he featured in only four matches before his elbow injury resurfaced, leading to his return home.
As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, “Jofra recently signed a two-year England central contract running from October 2023 to September 2025, and the ECB have categorically told Archer not to enter the auction.”
Jofra Archer hasn’t played professional cricket since May 2023 because of an elbow injury he got while playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Although he was initially part of the World Cup in India as a reserve, he had to leave the country after experiencing elbow pain during training in Mumbai, where he stayed for less than a week.
Mumbai Indians’ affiliate franchise MI Cape Town retained Jofra Archer as a ‘wildcard’ player for the second season of the SA20 in early 2024. However, whether he will participate in the competition depends on the progress of his rehabilitation.
Archer traveled to India for the World Cup but had to return home within a week due to elbow issues. The ECB is optimistic that the fast bowler will be selected for England in the T20 World Cup 2024.
“We take that bet with him that we want him back fit and able to play for England, because of the upside. You start looking at things like the Ashes in two years, the T20 World Cup Jofra adds so much to that,” ECB managing director (men’s cricket) Robert Key had said last month.
A total of 34 England players, including Harry Brook, Adil Rashid, and Chris Woakes, have enlisted for the IPL auction. Franchises have retained Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jason Roy, Mark Wood, Will Jacks, and Reece Topley.