England players have begun their unceremonious departure from the Indian Premier League (IPL) days before the final stage of the ongoing season. While the exits are mainly to gear up for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup, the fans are not pleased with the sudden disappearance.

While the World Cup is scheduled to commence on June 2, England will play a preparatory series against Pakistan ahead of the tournament. All English players selected for the World Cup squad will participate in this series, prompting the England Cricket Board (ECB) to recall its players from the IPL prematurely.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) recently shared a video of Jos Buttler bidding adieu to the team hotel, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) confirmed the absence of Will Jacks and Reece Topley from their final league match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Joining the exodus are Sam Curran, Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, all set to depart the IPL soon. Reports indicate that the remaining English players may well return to the UK by the end of this week.

While these departures will affect all IPL franchises, the heaviest impact is likely to be borne by Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, both losing crucial members of their squads as the competition nears its conclusion.

Penalise the English board and players: Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has unleashed a scathing rebuke against the ECB for requesting the World Cup players to return home early, urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to penalise the English players as well as the board.

In his column for Mid Day, Gavaskar asked IPL franchisees to withhold a significant amount of their players’ pay, stressing the financial consequences of their premature exit.

“I am all for players choosing country before anything else, but having assured various franchises about their availability for the full season, if they pull out now, it will be letting down the franchises. The franchises should not only be allowed to deduct a substantial amount from the fee that the player was bought for, but also not give the Board, to which the player belongs, the stated 10 per cent commission of the fee that each player gets,” Gavaskar wrote.

The uproar sparked by these sudden exits of England players once again highlights the difficulty of balancing one’s duties towards their country and the obligations of following the contractual terms with franchise teams.