The likes of Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Moeen Ali are set to miss the playoffs of the ongoing IPL as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will be calling all the England T20 World Cup-bound players to feature in the four-match T20I home series against Pakistan beginning on May 22. The IPL playoffs begin on May 21 with the final on May 26.

Given the current IPL standings, the decision is likely to affect Buttler (Rajasthan Royals), Salt (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Moeen (Chennai Super Kings) as their respective teams are well placed to feature in the playoffs.

Will Jacks (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone (all three of them at Punjab Kings) are also there in the England Cup squad, but their reams lie low in the points table.

The England players are expected to return home on the weekend of May 18-19, which could rule them out of their respective franchises’ final group-stage fixtures as well. The group phase of this IPL runs till May 19 with the Royals facing the Knight Riders in Guwahati.

England men’s managing director Rob Key spoke to the players selected in the provisional World Cup squad on Monday and told those specifically in the IPL that they will not be available for the playoffs. Both Buttler and Salt have been instrumental to the Royals and KKR occupying the top two places, respectively, of the league table. Their absence could well be a blow to the franchises concerned in the business end of this IPL.

On the other hand, fit-again pacer Jofra Archer has been selected in the Cup squad after a one-year injury-forced hiatus, while rookie spinner all-rounder Tom Hartley also made the cut in the 15-member preliminary group.

Archer last played for England in a T20I series against Bangladesh in March last year. “Jofra has recovered from his right elbow injury and is named in the squad,” the ECB said.