Rajasthan Royals considering offering Jos Buttler multi-year franchise cricket contract - Reports
Rajasthan Royals (RR) are deliberating the prospect of tying down Jos Buttler to their network of franchises in the global cricketing landscape with a lucrative four-year deal.
The England white-ball captain represents the Paarl Royals in the SA20 League apart from his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, but has not represented the Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) yet, which is owned by the same management.
While the offer is yet to be formally presented to Buttler, a report from The Telegraph states that the franchise are indeed interested in such a proposition. It is yet to be seen whether Buttler, who has several years left in his white-ball career, will be interested in such a deal.
According to previous reports, five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have considered the possibility of offering Jofra Archer a year-round contract with the franchise. The all-rounder currently represents the Mumbai Indians in the IPL as well as the MI Cape Town in the SA20 League.
Signing the exclusive contract will make Archer available for leagues like the ILT20 and the MLC as well. Additionally, the player will most likely have to give up his national contract, and the cricketing board will have to seek permission from the franchise authorities to secure services for a limited period of time for special occasions like ICC events.
Recently, Jason Roy gave up his central contract to finalize a move to the LA Knight Riders in the upcoming Major League Cricket (MLC) season in the USA.
ECB looking to elevate national contracts to combat exclusive franchise deals such as RR's potential offer for Buttler
In a bid to stave players off such deals offered by franchises, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are looking to offer multi-year central contracts and increase the match fee across formats as well.
Players apart from Buttler, like Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and more could be tempted by the franchises in the future with multi-year contracts.
The potential advantage to such contracts is that it will prolong players' career, given that they are not playing red-ball cricket anymore. It will also give them a flexible schedule that allows them to still represent England in the ICC tournaments.
New Zealand's Trent Boult is going through a similar patten, through he has not signed a multi-year contract with any franchise. Functioning as a freelance cricketer, the pacer has played in the IPL, BBL and the ILT20 in recent months and is in the fray to represent New Zealand in the upcoming ODI World Cup as well.