"Either be available for full season or don’t come" - Irfan Pathan lashes out at overseas players for leaving IPL 2024 midway

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has called out the overseas players for skipping the final leg of IPL 2024 to fulfil their international commitments. The 39-year-old took to his official account on X and called for players to either be available for a full season or not play in the tournament at all.

England's star players like Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks, Phil Salt, and Reece Topley have already left from the ongoing edition, with the four-game T20I series against Pakistan beginning on May 22 in Leeds. It has emerged that Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow will also leave for England duty soon.

Irked by this, Pathan wrote the below on X:

"Either be available for full season or don’t come!"

News also came from the Punjab Kings' camp on Wednesday that Kagiso Rabada has returned to South Africa to recover from a lower limb infection ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. Nevertheless, his replacement Nathan Ellis proved handy during the game against the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday.

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Jos Buttler's absence affects Rajasthan Royals as they suffer their 4th consecutive loss in IPL 2024

Jos Buttler. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals felt Jos Buttler's absence on Wednesday during the IPL 2024 game against the Punjab Kings in Guwahati. The Royals picked Buttler's fellow Englishman Tom Kohler-Cadmore as replacement, but he failed to make the required impact. With only 144 on the board, Rajasthan slumped to a loss to Sam Curran-led Punjab by five wickets.

Buttler had a decent outing in IPL 2024, hammering two centuries with 359 runs in 11 matches at 39.89. With the Royals also reaching the playoffs, they will miss the keeper-batter's presence at the top.

With the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) losing two players in Jacks and Topley, it remains to be seen if it affects their quest to reach the playoffs this year.