Irfan Pathan expressed his frustration over English players exiting the IPL prematurely to join the England squad for the upcoming Pakistan series ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

The players who are part of both England's squad for Pakistan series and the IPL include Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, and Liam Livingstone, all playing for Punjab Kings; Will Jacks and Reece Topley from Royal Challengers Bengaluru; Jos Buttler representing Rajasthan Royals; Phil Salt with Kolkata Knight Riders, and Moeen Ali from Chennai Super Kings.

Pathan, echoing sentiments similar to those of Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, emphasized a tough stance: either commit to the entire IPL season or abstain entirely.

“Either be available for full season or don’t come!” he wrote on X (previously Twitter).

In his column for Mid Day, Gavaskar had emphasized the importance of honoring commitments made to IPL franchises, suggesting that players who withdraw should face salary deductions. Gavaskar also called for repercussions for cricket boards, including a penalty for reneging on agreements.

"I am all for players choosing country before anything else but having assured various franchises about their availability for the full season, if they pull out now, it will be letting down the franchises which probably pay them more money in one IPL season which they don’t earn in a few seasons with their country. The franchises should not only be allowed to deduct a substantial amount from the fee that the player was bought for, but also not give the Board, to which the player belongs, the stated 10 per cent commission of the fee that each player gets," Gavaskar wrote.

 “If the Board has gone back on its assurance they need to be penalised too. By the way, this 10 percent commission to the Boards happens only in the IPL and nowhere else. Not in the Australian Big Bash nor in the ECB’s The Hundred, nor in the Caribbean Premier League, nor any other T20 league anywhere else in the world. Does the BCCI get any thanks for its generosity? No way," he added.

It is worth noting that England will play a four-match T20I series against Pakistan starting on May 22. Players currently playing in the Indian Premier League will return in time for the series.

England squad for Pakistan series:

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood