England fast bowler Jofra Archer has withdrawn from next week’s Indian Premier League Auction to prioritise his long-awaited return to Test cricket.
Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer >
The 29-year-old, who has battled elbow and back injuries since 2021, has opted to miss next year’s T20 tournament to manage his workloads ahead of England’s home summer, according to several reports.
Archer, who hasn’t played Test cricket since February 2021, made his international return earlier this year, albeit in England’s white-ball sides. However, the right-armed quick is on track to make his first-class comeback next year, potentially eyeing May’s four-day Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
England will host India for five Tests next year before the highly-anticipated 2025/26 Ashes tour of Australia, and the EBC will be desperate for Archer to feature in both campaigns.
All centrally-contracted England players were free to enter the auction, but Archer reportedly pulled himself out of the running so he can play County Championship cricket with Sussex at the start of England’s home summer.
Archer was sold to the Mumbai Indians at the 2022 auction for AU$1.47 million, but only played five matches for the franchise over the following two seasons before being released.
The Barbados-born speedster wasn’t the only notable absentee from the 574-name list of players for next week’s auction, with England stars Joe Root, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes also withdrawing from the event. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was also absent due to his back injury.
Meanwhile, veteran bowler James Anderson also threw his hat in the ring. The 42-year-old, who retired from international cricket early this year, has not played T20 cricket since 2014, and is the oldest player on the list.
Earlier this month, the Sunrisers Hyderabad retained Pat Cummins and Travis Head for the next edition of the tournament, while every Australian was released by their respective franchises.
Australians in the IPL Auction
Mitchell Starc
Jake Fraser-McGurk
David Warner
Mitchell Marsh
Glenn Maxwell
Marcus Stoinis
Josh Hazlewood
Adam Zampa
Alex Carey
Josh Inglis
Ashton Turner
Tim David
Ben McDermott
Josh Philippe
Spencer Johnson
Tanveer Sangha
Steve Smith
Sean Abbott
Aaron Hardie
Matthew Short
Jason Behrendorff
Nathan Ellis
Jhye Richardson
Xavier Bartlett
Cooper Connolly
Daniel Sams
Will Sutherland
Ben Dwarshuis
Riley Meredith
Lance Morris
Chris Green
Josh Brown
Ollie Davies
Ashton Agar
Hilton Cartwright
Michael Neser
Andrew Tye
Discussion about this post