Image Credit- Getty
Jofra Archer will play no part in the 2024 Indian
Premier League as the ECB attempts to manage his workload ahead of the T20
World Cup in 2019.
Since his elbow stress fracture recurrence in May 2023
while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, Archer has
not participated in any professional cricket matches. He went to India for the
World Cup on a temporary reserve basis, however he was sidelined for less than
a week due to aggravating elbow discomfort during his training in Mumbai.
He is not listed among the more than a thousand names
that have registered for the IPL auction, which takes place in Dubai on
December 19 and includes 34 players from England. It is thought that the ECB
advised Archer not to participate in the auction. He just inked a two-year
contract as an England central, which runs from October 2023 to September 2025.
The managing director of England men’s cricket, Rob
Key, has emphasised time and time again that the country should cooperate with
franchise leagues instead of opposing them. However, the ECB feels that
overseeing Archer’s return in the UK in April and May will be simpler than
having him in India on the books of an IPL franchise trying to get value for
their money.
A week into the IPL this year, Archer departed India
to see an elbow specialist in Belgium. Following his Mumbai Indians debut, he
experienced soreness and underwent a small operation. After coming back to play
four more games before leaving for home, he was told that he had a stress
fracture recurrence by England’s medical staff.
At this stage, England are hopeful that Archer could
be part of their squad for the T20 World Cup in June 2024 and are planning
accordingly. “We take that bet with him that we want him back fit and able
to play for England, because of the upside,” Key said last month.
“You start looking at things like the Ashes in two years, the T20 World
Cup… Jofra adds so much to that.”