New Delhi: There is no bigger service than serving one's country. That's what England cricketers Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler opted to do by pulling out of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), even though their respective franchises are competing for the coveted trophy in Sunday's final.


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But former England captain Kevin Pietersen, who is engaged as an IPL presenter, was not happy with the England duo's decision to pull out. And last week, he took to Twitter and lambasted them, and said that "Absolutely PATHETIC that @benstokes38 & @josbuttler have to go drink a few beers in Spain instead of playing IPL finals!"




Stokes and Buttler have had brilliant outings in the 10th edition of IPL for their respective franchise.


Stokes, the most expensive buy this season, proved his worth by helping Rising Pune Supergiant in crucial games. The all-rounder with a price tag of Rs 14.5 crore also helped himself to three match of the awards.


Buttler had a prolific limited season with Mumbai Indians too, giving good starts as a opening bat to the two-time champions.


But both the players had left the tournament before the start of the play-offs to be with the England team, which will take on South Africa in a three-match ODI series. The series will be their warm-up to next month's ICC Champions Trophy.


Currently, the England team is in Spain, getting prepared for the upcoming tests. And both the players have taken videos of their grills and shared it with a doubting Pietersen.