Former Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) intend to keep Jos Buttler at home for the foreseeable future in the T20 league. According to media reports, the England white-ball captain – who will lead the team in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India later this year – has been offered a four-year deal by IPL team Rajasthan Royals.
According to England’s ‘Daily Telegraph’ newspaper, it is not clear whether Butler has accepted the offer, which is believed to be worth millions of pounds every year. “It is understood that the offer has not yet been formally presented to Buttler, and it is unclear whether the T20 World Cup-winning captain intends to accept the deal. The exact value is unknown but given his earning potential in the competition it would be worth millions of pounds every year,” the report said.
Buttler has an amazing record in IPL, he was the Orange Cap winner in the IPL 2022 season scoring 863 runs in 17 matches, leading RR to the final against Gujarat Titans. In 96 IPL matches, Buttler has scored 3,223 runs at an average of 37.92 with a strike-rate of 148.32, including 5 centuries and 19 fifties.
The England skipper has been with the Royals since the 2018 IPL, and has been a key member of their team, which is captained by India international Sanju Samson. Butler also plays for the Rajasthan-owned side Paarl Royals in South Africa’s SA20 League, which started this year. In the Caribbean Premier League, he is the owner of the Barbados Royals.
“England are looking for ways that they can have some degree of control over their players as the franchises become more powerful. They are looking at multi-year central contracts, as well as increasing match fees for all three international formats,” the report said.
10,000 T20 runs for Jos Buttler _#explosion23 pic.twitter.com/Nh4RIchqtl— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) 23 June 2023
Butler recently completed 10,000 runs in T20 cricket, The England wicket-keeper became the 9th batsman to achieve this feat.
It is unclear whether a player will be able to hold a multi-year contract on the franchise circuit as well as an England central contract. The Daily Mail reported earlier this year that Jofra Archer was in talks with Mumbai Indians over a deal that would require permission from his franchise to play for England.
“Other England players such as Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone (both Punjab Kings) and Kolkata Knight Riders’ Jason Roy could also be targeted for long-term deals,” added the report.