The England players hoping to clinch franchise glory in IPL and PSL

By Dom Harris

Both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) are reaching the culmination of their group stage phases as teams aim to clinch a spot in their respective playoffs.

The IPL has a little over a week to go with two or three games each left to play and still seven sides in contention, whilst the PSL has just four more fixtures in total as four sides go for three remaining knockout spaces.

Recent escalated hostility between India and Pakistan have left question marks over the remainder of the PSL, with reports that the English contingent are considering options to return early should the need arise, though as it stands that is not the case.

In total, there have been 17 England players involved across the two competitions, but who is still in the mix to go all the way?

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IPL – Jos Buttler (Gujarat Titans)

Former England white-ball captain Buttler has enjoyed a successful first campaign with Gujarat Titans, who currently sit at the top of the table with 16 points.

Buttler has scored 500 runs with five half-centuries at a higher average than any other player with more than 200 runs in a prolific top order alongside Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.

The 2022 champions need just one win from their final three games to secure a spot in the top four, though will be aiming to finish in the top two and avoid the Eliminator contest.

IPL – Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)

A trio of English players are aiming to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally secure a maiden IPL title, all contributing as RCB find themselves in second place and only behind Gujarat Titans on net run-rate.

Salt, who won the competition with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, scoring 239 runs in the first nine games and was effective in setting the platform with his aggressive strokeplay, though has missed the previous two games with a fever.

Bethell had to wait patiently for his opportunity but has filled in for his international team-mate at the top of the order, scoring a half-century in their most recent win over Chennai Super Kings and giving the selectors a tough decision to make moving forward.

All-rounder Livingstone has not featured since the defeat to Punjab Kings on April 18, having struggled to make a consistent impact with bat and ball, losing his place in the side to the explosive West Indian Romario Shepherd.

Like Gujarat, RCB only need one more win to guarantee progression but will be eyeing a top two spot to ensure two attempts at reaching the final for the first time since 2016.

IPL – Will Jacks and Reece Topley (Mumbai Indians)

The joint most successful IPL franchise Mumbai Indians recovered from a slow start to the campaign and now find themselves in a strong position to reach the final four, winning six games in a row until they were beaten off the final ball by Gujarat Titans on Tuesday.

With the hope of forcing his way back into the England setup, top order batter Jacks has struggled to fully showcase his talent on the big stage and has only scored 195 runs in nine innings, though did make his highest score of 53 in their most recent outing.

Jacks has taken five wickets with his off-spin at a very respectable economy rate, however left-arm seamer Topley has yet to make an appearance in this year’s edition.

Mumbai have just two games remaining, including a potential decider against Delhi Capitals on May 15, still requiring two wins to be certain, though they do currently possess the best net run-rate in the competition which could yet prove vital.

IPL – Moeen Ali (Kolkata Knight Riders)

The defending champions still have a mathematical chance of making the top four, though would need a remarkable sequence of results after a damaging defeat to already eliminated Chennai Super Kings.

Ali, who retired from international duty in 2024, has not been a regular in the KKR side and only had two innings with the bat in his six appearances with a total of just five runs.

The all-rounder has taken a respectable six wickets in his limited game time, though was recently hit for five consecutive sixes by Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag.

Currently in sixth place on 11 points, KKR need to win their final two games and hope other results go their way.

PSL – James Vince (Karachi Kings)

The classy and reliable Vince has enjoyed his most productive PSL campaign to date after quitting red-ball cricket with Hampshire, amassing 294 runs in eight innings at an average of 42, including a century in their opening game against Multan Sultans.

Karachi Kings have failed to make the playoffs in the previous three seasons but find themselves in second place on ten points with two games to play, level with third place Islamabad United who they face in their final game in a potential shootout for a spot in the Qualifier against Quetta Gladiators.

PSL – Sam Billings and Tom Curran (Lahore Qalandars)

2022 and 2023 winners Lahore Qalandars are currently in fourth position but meet fifth-placed Peshawar Zalmi in their final game of the regular season, knowing they will be eliminated with a defeat.

Wicketkeeper Billings has scored 161 runs at an impressive strike rate of 185, whilst all-rounder Curran has only featured on three occasions and taken two wickets.

PSL – Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Luke Wood (Peshawar Zalmi)

Peshawar Zalmi have never failed to progress through to the playoffs since the inception of the competition in 2016 but find themselves under pressure to avoid a group stage exit.

With two games left to play against Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, victory over Lahore will secure qualification ahead of their opponents regardless of their result against Karachi.

Destructive batter Kohler-Cadmore returned to the side for a fifth consecutive year as the second pick in the player draft but has failed to live up to expectations, only reaching double figures once in six attempts with a score of 52 against Multan Sultans.

Left-arm quick Wood has impressed with nine wickets at an economy rate of less than seven an over, taking key scalps of Mohammad Rizwan and David Warner during his six appearances.

Who can’t qualify?

In the IPL, Jofra Archer has shown promising signs after a difficult start to the campaign but Rajasthan Royals have only managed to win three of 12 games so far, whilst Sam Curran and Jamie Overton have been unable to cement a place in a Chennai Super Kings side that are at the bottom of the table with six points.

Meanwhile in the PSL, Chris Jordan and David Willey have been unable to make a significant impact at Multan Sultans, with the regular finalists enduring a miserable season which has seen them win just once with one game remaining.

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