Jos Buttler leaves RR camp before IPL 2024 playoffs; Liam Livingstone to get 'knee sorted' in build-up to T20 World Cup

With the England Cricket Board announcing the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup, the writing was on the wall for Rajasthan Royals. The playoff-bound side will miss the services of superstar Jos Buttler, who has left the RR camp in the lead-up to the business end of the T20 tournament on Monday. England's World Cup-bound players are set to miss the remainder of the IPL 2024 due to their international commitments.

Under the leadership of England's Buttler, the defending T20 World Cup champions will warm up for the ICC event with an action-packed series against Babar Azam's Pakistan. ECB confirmed in a statement that the selected players for the T20 World Cup will return in time for the series against Pakistan, which gets underway at Headingley on Wednesday next week.

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‘We’ll miss you, Jos!’: Royals confirm Buttler's IPL exit

Confirming Buttler's departure, the official social media handle of the Rajasthan Royals shared a heartwarming video about the England skipper. "We’ll miss you, Jos bhai!," Rajasthan Royals wrote on their social media handle while posting the video. "Facetime me with the trophy. Yeah?" Buttler said in the video. Buttler played an instrumental role in helping RR become a strong contender for the IPL 2024 playoff.

How Buttler performed for RR in IPL 2024

Buttler recorded his final appearance for RR against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk on Sunday. Buttler scored 21 off 25 balls in his final outing for RR against the Yellow Brigade. CSK hammered RR by five wickets to remain in the playoff race. Champions in the 2008 season, Sanju Samson's RR are one win away from sealing their playoff berth in the IPL 2024. Buttler smashed 359 runs in 11 games for the Royals this season. The Englishman notched up two centuries for Samson's men in the league phase of the cash-rich league.

Liam Livingstone to get 'knee sorted' in build-up to T20 World Cup

Buttler's teammate for the T20 World Cup, Punjab Kings’ all-rounder Liam Livingstone has also returned to England from the IPL 2024. Livingstone-starrer PBKS side has failed to enter the playoff stage of the IPL 2024. “IPL done for another year, had to get my knee sorted for the upcoming World Cup,” Livingstone said. “Thanks once again to the Punjab Kings fans for all their love and support. Disappointing season as a team and personally, but as always, I loved every minute of playing in the IPL,” he added. Livingstone will undergo a knee recuperation before the T20 World Cup.