"ECB had made it clear that all the players will be available" - PBKS coach Sanjay Bangar on England players' exodus before IPL 2024 playoffs

Punjab Kings (PBKS) coach Sanjay Bangar has revealed that the England Cricket Board (ECB) had assured the availability of their players for the entirety of IPL 2024. However, the former Indian all-rounder also disclosed that the tournament being extended changed their plans.

With IPL 2024 getting to the business end, several teams have been hurt as England players left for international duty, given the T20I series against Pakistan begins on May 22. The likes of Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Sam Curran left before their respective teams finished their campaign to be at home in time for the series.

At the press conference after Sunday's game, Bangar said:

"When we went to the auction, the ECB had made it clear that all the players will be available. It is just that it so happens that the tournament got slightly extended, I would say, because of multiple reasons. Everybody was in a similar position but we lost those English players."

With Curran leaving for England, Jitesh Sharma captained PBKS for the first time on Sunday (May 19). Their campaign ended in a defeat as they went down to the SunRisers Hyderabad despite scoring 214 after electing to bat first.

"We were short of players of international pedigree and experience" - Sanjay Bangar

While Bangar lamented the lack of international experience at the backend of their campaign, he believes other factors also contributed to their disappointing season. The 51-year-old added:

"For us, even losing Livingstone with a niggle around his knee, the ECB pulling him out. Even KG (Kagiso Rabada) had an infection and he had to go back (to South Africa). Those things coupled together meant that when we came to the last two matches, we were short of players of international pedigree and experience. That hurt us but that is not the sole reason why our season was below par."

The Punjab-based franchise have made it to the top 4 only twice in IPL history.