Vitality Blast: Jos Buttler to play six games for Lancashire
England senior batsman Jos Buttler will feature in the upcoming Vitality Blast for the Lancashire Lightning. Buttler, who was last seen in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season, will play a total of six games for the side. The England star is set to return to the competition he last played in 2018. Here are further details on the same.
Buttler will be keen to make his presence felt
The Vitality Blast kicks off on June 9, with the final taking place on September 18. Lancashire confirmed the England wicket-keeper batsman's availability with a statement on their website on Saturday. Notably, Buttler has made just three appearances for the franchise in the competition over the past three years. He will be keen to make a mark for the franchise this season.
A look at the matches Buttler will feature in
Buttler will begin his campaign with two home games against Derbyshire Falcons and Leicestershire Foxes at Emirates Old Trafford on June 9 and June 10 respectively. The destructive batsman will then play four away matches at Worcestershire Rapids, Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, and Birmingham Bears up until June 20. Earlier, Buttler was part of Lancashire when they lifted the T20 Blast trophy in 2015.
Buttler looking to lay strong foundation for Lancashire
Buttler has claimed he is looking forward to representing Lancashire as it has been a while. He also hopes to help the team get off to a strong start and lay the foundation for a successful season. Meanwhile, Lancashire's Director of Cricket, Paul Allott, admitted Buttler's return to the side will act as a big boost and they are thrilled to have him.
Buttler represented RR in the suspended IPL 2021 season
Buttler played seven matches for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021. He scored 254 runs in seven games at 36.28. Buttler also smashed his maiden IPL century (124). However, with coronavirus cases being detected within the bio-bubble, the BCCI decided to suspend the IPL 2021 season indefinitely earlier this month. There are talks of hosting the remainder of IPL in UAE around the September-October window.
Buttler and other IPL players not part of NZ Tests
The England cricket team has rested the players for the two-Test series against New Zealand who featured in the IPL 2021 season. The likes of Buttler, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, and Jonny Bairstow were all left out. The decision was taken in order to give the cricketers a break.
England players unlikely to feature in the remainder of IPL
The managing director of the ECB, Ashley Giles, confirmed recently that they won't be making any changes to England's cricket calendar to accommodate IPL 2021. In September-October, the England team is scheduled to travel to Bangladesh and Pakistan for limited-overs tours. Giles reckoned several players could be rested for the two series. However, they won't be allowed to play cricket elsewhere during the break.
