Barring Jos Buttler and Gerald Coetzee, Gujarat Titans’ entire overseas squad, including Rashid Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Kagiso Rabada, and Karim Janat, stayed in India, even as the threat of war loomed large. This meant they were the first team to resume training shortly after a ceasefire was brokered. Now that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has an official restart date, Buttler and Coetzee are expected to return too, but GT’s problems are far from over, with fixture clashes likely to gut their core just when they need it most.
Jos Buttler, the backbone of their campaign this season, is likely to miss the playoffs, which the franchise is all but guaranteed to reach, due to England’s ODI series against West Indies, beginning May 29. While an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) spokesperson hinted at the possibility of extending the No Objection Certificate (NOC), Buttler is understood to have opted to play the series against the Windies rather than continue in the IPL.
“No Objection Certificates have been granted based on the original IPL dates, so we’ll need to review any potential extensions, particularly in relation to any clash with the final white-ball squad,” an ECB spokesperson said when the squad was announced. “We’re keen to support the IPL and the BCCI in getting the schedule up and running, and to facilitate players’ return should they choose to go back. We’ll continue to work closely with the BCCI and the IPL as the situation develops.”
GT have already signed Kusal Mendis as a replacement. He, too, has opted out of the PSL, where he was expected to play for Quetta Gladiators.
Adding to their headaches, West Indies players are expected to leave the IPL even earlier than their English counterparts, as their ODI series against Ireland begins May 21. That means Sherfane Rutherford is likely to exit just before the business end of the season, unless Cricket West Indies (CWI) decide contrarily.
Similarly, South African players selected for the World Test Championship (WTC) final will have to return soon after the original IPL final date, May 25. Proteas Head Coach made it clear while announcing the squad that Cricket South Africa (CSA) had no plans of matching the ECB’s flexibility.
“According to the initial agreement with the IPL/BCCI, with the final being on the 25th, players would return on the 26th. Nothing has changed from our perspective, that is the ongoing conversation. As it stands, we want our players back on the 26th.”
This means both Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada will have to exit before the playoffs. Rabada had been due to rejoin GT after playing just two games earlier in the season, before heading home for what turned out to be a drug test in South Africa. Coetzee, meanwhile, had just begun contributing with the ball after a decent season with Mumbai Indians last year.
At this point, only Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Karim Janat, the last overseas players standing from GT’s original squad, are certain to be available for the remainder of the tournament. The franchise will need to rebuild fast, or risk entering the playoffs undercooked after what has otherwise been a spectacular season.
