Some of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises will be without significant star power as many England players have returned him ahead of the playoffs because of international commitment. The likes of Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Reece Topley, etc. have all left the T20 league for England’s T20I series against Pakistan. Since the announcement was made, the England board has faced severe criticism, with former Indian cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan expressing their disappointment at the overseas stars’ exit.

Irfan even suggested that overseas players shouldn’t bother coming to the IPL if they can’t play the entire season. Even Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram is in agreement.

“If you cut salaries, will it affect anything if your team doesn’t win after reaching the playoffs? You’ve put in all the hard work and in the last hurdle, your boys leave because they have to play for the country. It’s not fair,” Akram said in a chat on Sportskeeda.

“This is what you play for. That’s why it’s frustrating not just for fans but owners, and captains of the teams for any league. So, I agree with Irfan [Pathan], come for the entire tournament otherwise don’t come,” he added.

Earlier, Irfan had shared a fiery post on social media, asking England players to come for the entire IPL or don’t bother coming at all.

Even Indian cricket great Sunil Gavaskar was critical of England stars for returning home before the completion of the IPL.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan, however, found nothing wrong with England players returning home for Pakistan series.

“If you are going back to represent your country, which England players have done, I think that’s fair enough. They are playing a series against Pakistan. The England players wouldn’t have gone back if it wasn’t for the Pakistan series,” Vaughan told Cricbuzz.

“The series was on the calendar. With English cricket, the defence of the 50-over World Cup was a poor one by England here in India. So I think, Jos and his team, 5 games against Pakistan, they get together. The actual lead-up to the 50-over World Cup wasn’t perfect either. There were a lot of swaps and changes. They have now gone back to 5 matches, get all the squad together, work on a bit of culture, everyone playing their right roles, I think it will give them a better chance.”