"We will miss your talent, but we will miss 'You' even more" - Rajasthan Royals' emotional farewell message for Jofra Archer
England pacer Jofra Archer's stint with his first Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR) came to an end as he was bought by the Mumbai Indians at the IPL 2022 auction.
The Royals recently sent Archer a farewell message, written by owner Manoj Badale, and the pacer took to Instagram stories to share it.
"As is the case with a lot of new beginnings in life, they're usually accompaned by some tough moments. With the beginning of a new IPL cycle, all of us here at the Royals were tasked with some difficult moments of our own, the one where we bid farewell to some of our very own," RR wrote.
"At Royals, we've built with values that make us more than just a cricket franchise, and we're so thankful that you and your family have been an integral part of the big 'Royals Family'."
They went on to lavish praise on the seamer.
"It's been an exemplary ride, seeing you grow from a fearsome pace sensation to one of the finest all-format bowlers in the world to winning the World Cup for England. Everyone at the Royals is glad to have been a part of that transformation journey, seeing you go from strength to strength, conquering the world in the process.
"It was an exhilerating experience to see you bowl each delivery at that pace, keeping not just the batter but also thefans on their toes," the franchise wrote.
The message went on to read:
"As your first IPL family, we will always cherish the memories you and your family created in the pink and blue, and we want you to know that your name will forever be engraved in our history, as we hope ours will be in yours.
"We will miss your talent but we will miss 'you' even more."
Jofra Archer bought for big money by MI despite being out of IPL 2022
Jofra Archer was already ruled out of IPL 2022, but that did not stop franchises from getting into a bidding war for him.
It was the Mumbai Indians who eventually put in the winning bid, sealing the star pacer for ₹8 crore.
He is set to form a deadly pace-partnership at MI with Jasprit Bumrah, but fans will have to wait a year to see them together in action.