Cricket News: Mumbai Indians to offer Jofra Archer year-long contract

Mumbai Indians (MI), the five-time Indian Premier League champions, are reportedly prepared to offer England's top pacer Jofra Archer a one-year contract.

Nonetheless, if the 28-year-old accepts the offer, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will have to seek permission from the franchise to allow him to return to the national squad. If MI can pull off something like this, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

Notably, the Mumbai Indians signed Jofra Archer at the IPL auction in 2022 despite knowing he would not be able to play a single match.

Later on, Jofra was picked up by MI Cape Town ahead of the inaugural edition of the SA20 league, where he picked up 10 wickets in six matches. In the IPL 2023, the Barbados-born cricketer played only five matches and picked up two wickets before heading back home.

Despite his fitness being a key worry, MI has all but abandoned the cricketer and may now end up managing his schedule (assuming Jofra signs any such contract) in order to keep him fit for the different franchise-based events in which MI participates.

Meanwhile, the two parties have yet to meet to discuss this, but according to the Daily Mail, the franchise is ready to go all-in.

According to reports, players such as Alex Hales may possibly receive such offers. The England international isn't a regular in the national squad, which is why a certain organisation (name withheld) is interested in bringing him on board. He was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL 2022 season, however he did not participate in order to manage his workload.

Trent Boult, a Kiwi pacer, is also a favourite to be signed by an IPL side. The cricketer chose to opt out of New Zealand's central contract in 2022, making him eligible to sign a similar contract with any of the teams.

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