There is no respite for Rajasthan Royals on the injury front as Jofra Archer has been completely ruled out of IPL 2021. The English pacer had undergone surgery on his right hand to remove a piece of glass that was stuck due to a freak accident in January.
Archer was given the nod to start training after recovering from the surgery. Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara had insisted that they will not be rushing him back to action. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Friday that Archer will complete his rehabilitation in the United Kingdom and make his return from injury in the county cricket in May.
This announcement from ECB is a big blow for Rajasthan Royals since they are heavily missing their talisman in the bowling department. Archer has been a key player for the Royals in the last few seasons. He was the leading wicket-taker for Rajasthan in IPL 2020 with 20 wickets in the tournament.
Jofra Archer is likely to be fit for the test series against New Zealand in June. ECB will be hoping that the prolific pacer has completely recovered from hand and elbow injury before making his return to international. Archer was also troubled by an elbow injury during the tour of India earlier this year. With the T-20 World Cup and Ashes later this, ECB and Archer have probably made the right decision to take time to completely recover from these injuries.
Rajasthan Royals ravaged by injuries
Meanwhile, Rajasthan continues to suffer problems due to injuries. Before ECB’s announcement regarding Archer, the franchise has also lost Ben Stokes for the entire IPL 2021 due to a finger injury. Liam Livingstone also left Rajasthan Royals last week due to bubble fatigue in the last six months. Rajasthan is yet to announce replacements for these players, but poor performances until now may force them to bring in reinforcements. Royals currently sit at the bottom of the table with two points in four games.