Jos Buttler defends prioritizing Pakistan T20I series over IPL

England captain Jos Buttler believes that international cricket should not conflict with the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The England players selected for the T20I series against Pakistan had to return home early, missing the IPL 2024 playoffs to prepare for the T20 World Cup 2024.

While Buttler supported the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) decision to recall players for World Cup preparation, he expressed his opinion that such scheduling conflicts between international cricket and the IPL should be avoided.

“I said, ‘Look, as an England captain, my main priority is to be playing for England,'” Buttler said.

“It’s my personal opinion that there shouldn’t be any international cricket that clashes with the IPL. I think that these games have been in the calendar for a long time. Of course, leading into a World Cup, your No.1 priority is playing for England and performing for England. I feel like this is the best preparation," he added.

Sam Curran also supported the ECB's decision, acknowledging the fairness of the move.

“It was a decision that was made, that it was probably the right thing for us all to come back. It was only fair for all franchise to lose a player each or so. It would have been quite harsh if some franchises got to keep a couple of players and then some didn’t.

“I think Jos, Motty [Matthew Mott] and Keysy [Rob Key] wanted us all back together for this series. It makes great sense, because obviously we want to be playing as a team and get used to our roles. It’s quite hard when you go tournament to tournament, and then straight into a big tournament like [the World Cup] where you haven’t really played together.”

The four-match T20I series against Pakistan will begin at Headingley in Leeds on May 22, followed by games in Birmingham on May 25, Cardiff on May 28, and the Oval in London on May 30.