ECB announce Jofra Archer will MISS remainder of the IPL… but England fast bowler will step up his recovery next week following hand and elbow injuries ahead of New Zealand series in June
- Jofra Archer has been back bowling this week after a recurring elbow problem
- He did so with the intention of hooking up with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL
- But the quarantine period would interrupt his preparation and bowling build-up
- The decision was made together by the 25-year-old, the ECB and Rajasthan
Jofra Archer will miss the Indian Premier League and play for Sussex instead in the build-up to the international summer.
Archer, 25, has been back bowling this week after a recurring elbow problem forced him home early from the winter tour of India.
He did so with the intention of hooking up with Rajasthan Royals for the remainder of a tournament that started a fortnight ago.
Jofra Archer will miss the IPL and play for Sussex instead ahead of this summer’s matches
Archer, 25, has been back bowling this week after suffering a recurring elbow problem
However, the eight-day quarantine period that would be required for him to join up with his Royals team-mates would interrupt his preparation and bowling build-up and therefore hamper his bid for full fitness.
The decision for him therefore to remain in Hove in a bid to play County Championship cricket by mid-May was made between Archer himself, the ECB and Rajasthan.
An ECB statement read: ‘The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that England and Sussex bowler Jofra Archer will not play in the 2021 Indian Premier League.
The decision for him to remain at Hove was taken by himself and members of the ECB
‘Archer returned to bowling this week with higher intensity, and the ECB and Sussex medical teams will continue to monitor his progress.
‘Archer will now step up his training regime starting next week and will be in full training with Sussex. It is expected that he will return to cricket in the next fortnight if he can continue to bowl and prepare pain-free.
‘The ECB will confirm which matches he is expected to play in due course.’
The 25-year-old fast bowler is the IPL’s reigning MVP after a stunning 2020 season
Archer, the IPL’s reigning MVP after a stunning 2020 season, is scheduled to step up his intensity next week and potentially play a second XI match the following one.
His rehabilitation plan is dependent upon him continuing to bowl pain free, having had a second cortisone injection of the year in his painful right elbow upon his return from India last month.
The 2019 World Cup star also had surgery to remove a fragment of glass that had embedded itself in his bowling hand during his recent rest period but it has had no impact on his side-lining. Leeds-based hand surgeon Doug Campbell cleared him to return to training last week.