Mumbai Indians (MI), the five-time Indian Premier League champions, are reportedly set to offer England’s ace pacer Jofra Archer a one-year contract. Notably, if the 28-year-old accepts the offer, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will have to seek permission from the franchise to allow him to return to the national team. If MI can pull off something like this, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
Notably, the Mumbai Indians signed Jofra Archer at the IPL auction in 2022 despite knowing he would not be able to play a single match.
Later, Jofra was signed by MI Cape Town ahead of the inaugural SA20 league, where he took 10 wickets in six matches. The Barbados-born cricketer played only five matches in the IPL 2023 and took two wickets before returning home.
Despite his fitness being a major concern, MI has all but abandoned the cricketer and may now end up controlling his schedule (if Jofra signs any such contract) in order to keep him fit for the various franchise-based tournaments in which MI participates. Meanwhile, the two parties have yet to meet to discuss this, but according to the Daily Mail, the franchise is ready to go all-in.
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According to reports, players such as Alex Hales may also receive such offers. The England international isn’t a regular in the national team, which is why a specific franchise (name withheld) is interested in bringing him on board. He was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL 2022 season, but he did not participate in order to manage his workload.
Trent Boult, a Kiwi pacer, is also a favorite to be signed by an IPL franchise. The cricketer chose to opt out of New Zealand’s central contract in 2022, making him eligible to sign a similar contract with any of the franchises. He currently plays for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, which also has franchises in the SA20 (Paarl Royals) and CPLT20 (Barbados).