IPL 2021: Big setback for Rajasthan Royals as THIS player will miss start of tournament

Jofra Archer is returning to the UK for further management and investigation of his right elbow injury.

India Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals on Sunday (March 21) suffered a big setback as England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that Jofra Archer will miss the start of IPL 2021, which is set to commence from April 9.

Notably, ECB on Sunday named a 14-player squad for the three-match ODI series against India in Pune and they left out Archer, who is returning to the UK for further management and investigation of his right elbow injury.

“Archer's elbow issue has deteriorated over the course of the five-match T20I series and made it increasingly challenging for him to maintain performance levels. He has been deemed unfit for selection for the ODI series that features matches on 23, 26 and March 28,” ECB said in a statement.

“The ECB medical team will assess the player and, together with Jofra, develop a treatment plan and a return-to-play schedule in due course. As a consequence, Jofra will miss the start of this year's Indian Premier League,” the statement added.

It is worth noticing that Archer was the highest wicket-taker for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 with 20 wickets in 14 matches. Overall, he was the 7th highest wicket-taker in IPL 2020. Hence, it goes without saying that RR will bemoan the pacer's absence.