IPL 2020: Jofra Archer ruled out of tournament
The speculations surrounding the participation of English speedster Jofra Archer in the upcoming IPL have been put to rest after the England Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that he won’t take any part in this year's edition of the league.
He is expected to return to action during the county season. Archer, who has already become an integral part of the England outfit in all three formats, won’t be rushed into action, especially given the fact that the T20 World Cup is just around the corner.
An ECB statement confirmed on Saturday that the fast bowler is currently recovering from his elbow injury and is slated to undergo an MRI scan in a couple of days.
As per the statement, Archer will continue his rehabilitation process for the next two weeks and is expected to turn out for Sussex in May prior to England’s Test series against the West Indies.
While ECB had earlier stated that Archer won’t take part in the IPL, the Rajasthan Royals (the team he represents in the league) were yet to take a call and didn’t rule out the prospect of the 24-year-old being available at the fag end of the tournament.
However, with the ECB calling the shots, team Rajasthan will be denied the services of their premier fast bowler.
Meanwhile, the speedster is expected to undergo further scans in mid-April to monitor his injury.
He was expected to start bowling towards the end of March, which had made team Rajasthan hope for his involvement at some point in the tournament.
Archer's absence is certainly bad news for the franchise as it has lost one of its key players for this year's edition of the IPL.