Jofra Archer
England ace Jofra Archer is hopeful of plying his trade for Rajasthan Royals if the fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets rescheduled.
After missing the now-suspended IPL 2021 with a finger injury, the Barbadian-born English pacer said that it was hard to not go to India. However, Archer wasn't sure of attaining match-fitness during the course of the tournament as he described the situation as 'unpredictable'.
"It's terrible in India at the moment and to be honest if I did go to India, I probably would have been home early, anyway, but I think that's just how it's gone. I feel hopeful when if it does reschedule for this year, hopefully, I'll be able to go again but it was a hard decision to not go to India," Archer said on Sussex Cricket YouTube channel.
"It was just really unpredictable. I don't know if I could have gone but I don't know how many games I would have played.
"Rajasthan Royals and England supported me in my decision. You obviously build a good relationship as I have been the Royals for the last three years. Stokes too suffered a bit, I think going over his hand and I don't even know if he going to be ready for these Tests against New Zealand," Archer added.
The Rajasthan-based outfit was jolted with multiple blows this year, losing Archer and Ben Stokes owing to injuries before Liam Livingstone and Andrew Tye withdrew from the lucrative T20 league.
Meanwhile, a small window before the T20 World Cup and right after the India tour of England makes the BCCI optimistic about hosting the remainder of the IPL 2021. The Indian board is also mulling over shifting the league to the UK or the UAE.
IPL chairman Brijesh Patel also said that they are exploring the September option to wrap up the league before the T20 World Cup. "Now we have to look for a window. If we get one, we will explore holding it. We'll have to see if it is possible in September. We need to examine the plans of the ICC and other boards," Brijesh told Cricbuzz.
