Rajasthan Royals To Offer Landmark Four-Year Deal To Jos Buttler: Reports

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals is likely to offer a landmark four-year contract to England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler. Buttler, who joined the Royals in 2018, as a result, could be tied down to their network of franchises via a lucrative contract as they are interested in such a proposition.

While Buttler has represented Rajasthan and Paarl Royals in IPL and SA20, respectively, the keeper-batter hasn't played for the Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which is also owned by the same management. The offer is yet to come officially, according to The Telegraph, it remains to be seen if Buttler would be interested in such a career.

As per previous reports, five-time champions Mumbai Indians also contemplated offering Jofra Archer a year-round contract. The Barbadian is part of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and Mumbai Indians Cape Town in SA20. Signing an exclusive contract would mean that the players will be available for leagues throughout the year and might have to give up on their national deal. As a result, the boards may have to seek permission from the franchises to secure the player's services for a limited time.

ECB aiming to elevate national contracts to counter franchise's exclusive deals:

To combat the potential rise of exclusive franchise deals, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are looking to offer the players multi-year central contracts and surge the match fees across formats. England's white-ball specialists like Alex Hales, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, and Jason Roy would undoubtedly be interested in year-round deals.

Notably, Roy relinquished his central contract and finalized the move with the Los Angeles Knight Riders for the inaugural season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA.