All eyes will be on the England cricket team at the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, which begins on June 1 in the Americas.
England will enter the tournament as the defending champions, having defeated Pakistan in the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup to become only the second team to win multiple T20 World Cups. They first won the T20 World Cup in 2010.
The 15-man squad that will undertake the title defence in less than three weeks from now has already been announced, with a majority of those players currently in India for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
They will, however, be heading back to the United Kingdom (UK) to take on Pakistan in a four-match T20I series, starting on May 22, that is meant to serve as a warm-up for the 2024 T20 World Cup. So, which Englishmen are set to miss the IPL 2024 playoffs?
MORE: Why will England players not play IPL 2024 playoffs?
List of England players who will miss IPL 2024 playoffs
The two England players whose unavailability during the IPL 2024 playoffs might prove to be costly to their respective franchises are Kolkata Knight Riders' Phil Salt and Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler.
KKR have already sealed qualification to the playoffs and are assured of a top-two spot. Salt has been one of their most vital cogs this season, forming a formidable opening combo with Sunil Narine. Salt has scored 435 runs in 12 innings at a terrific strike rate of 182. His services will be a big miss for the Knight Riders in their push to win their first IPL title since 2014.
On the other hand, Buttler has blown hot and cold, scoring 359 runs in 11 innings. Yet it's his experience as a T20 veteran that could have made a huge difference for RR in the playoffs. He has scored two crucial centuries this season, and while RR haven't officially made it to the playoffs, it is expected that they will seal a spot in the next two games.
The Englishman has left the RR camp. The England skipper in T20Is will miss the final two games of the RR as he gears up to get in form for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Moeen Ali has been a late entrant in the CSK lineup, making his way into the XI in the second half of the season. And he has added value with the bat. Should CSK make it to the playoffs, the Men in Yellow will sorely miss the balance Ali provides in the middle order, not to forget that he can also chip in with a few overs of spin.
As for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Will Jacks has become a crucial component at No. 3, playing a big role in helping RCB stitch a five-game winning streak that has just about kept their hopes of making it to the IPL 2024 playoffs alive. His absence would mean that RCB would lose an in-form middle-order batsman. In the first eight games, where RCB won just once, the lack of contributions from the middle order became a glaring weakness, a chink in their armour that would get exposed one too many times.
Jacks and Reece Topley will join Buttler in the list of departures from the IPL this week.
Meanwhile, players such as Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow, and Liam Livingstone would not have to worry about the playoffs since Punjab Kings, the franchise they represent, have already been eliminated.
Livingstone has, anyway, left India to return to 100% fitness ahead of the T20 World Cup. The batting all-rounder missed PBKS' opening two games and has played only seven games for the outfit all season long.
The 30-year-old has been struggling with muscle injuries consistently over the last two years. But it was his knee that wasn't at 100% during the ongoing IPL. Per ESPNcricinfo, Livingstone wanted to return to England before schedule to give his knee a window of rest and recovery. It must be noted that he is not nursing a serious knee injury.
England players who would miss IPL 2024 playoffs
| Player | Team |
| Phil Salt | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Jos Buttler | Rajasthan Royals |
| Moeen Ali | Chennai Super Kings |
| Will Jacks | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Reece Topley | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
