Ashish Ranjan
Rajasthan Royals, the inaugural champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), are reportedly seeking to offer England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler a multi-year contract. Buttler, who plays for Paarl Royals in the South African Twenty20 and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, is a fan favorite.
The potential reason for this contract is Buttler’s ability to single-handedly win games with the bat, something the franchise has already experienced during the Indian Premier League 2022 (IPL 2022).
The Telegraph recently reported that the Rajasthan Royals are genuinely considering offering Buttler the lucrative contract. However, only time will reveal how the situation develops and whether Buttler accepts the contract if he is offered one.
Moreover, Buttler is not the only player reported to have been offered such a contract. According to a report from the Daily Mail, English pacer Jofra Archer was also in the running to secure a similar contract with the five-time IPL champion Mumbai Indians.
However, there is a disadvantage to signing a franchise cricket contract: giving up the national team’s contract. If a player obtains a permanent contract with a cricket franchise, the national team’s board would be required to obtain permission from the franchise in order to use the player for international duty.
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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is presently fighting to prevent players from signing multiyear contracts with franchises. In an effort to entice the players to remain, the ECB is reportedly offering them multi-year contracts and a higher match fee.
However, it may be difficult to prevent athletes from signing contracts with multiple franchises, as doing so helps them extend their careers. Given that the players will not be playing as many Test matches, focusing on white-ball cricket for annual tournaments could help them remain in shape and provide them with greater flexibility when representing their respective countries in the major ICC tournaments.
