IPL 2019: England's Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler retained by Rajasthan Royals

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler will play for the Rajasthan Royals in next year’s IPL after the inaugural champions retained the England pair in hope of regaining their crown.

£1.4m man Stokes was the 2017 IPL MVP after blistering performances with bat and ball and has proven a big hit with local fans while Buttler impressed in last year’s renewal with an average of 54.8 and a number of game-changing performances.

“I couldn’t wish for a better franchise to be a part of – it felt like a family last season and I can’t wait to get back out amongst the team,” said Buttler, who is currently on tour with England in Sri Lanka.

“It is great to play with Stokesy and I really hope the fans back home in England will get behind us as players and choose the Royals as their team to support.

“Last season was a fantastic experience and went so well. I’m looking to build on that moving into 2019 and hopefully we can go all the way this time.”

Zubin Bharucha, Head of Cricket for Rajasthan Royals, added: “We believe that retaining the likes of Jos and Ben will be vital to the success of the team in the upcoming IPL season. It’s fantastic for us to be able to secure such massive names from English cricket. They were an important part of the team both on and off the field last season and we love having them as part of the Royals family.”

The Royals have also retained Sussex seamer Jofra Archer, who is expected to become an England player when he becomes eligible after switching nationalities.

Rajasthan could yet add more English talent in the auction in December but team owner Manoj Badale said that they are “extremely satisfied” with the roster they have built.

“We have a terrific atmosphere in and around the squad and it was a pleasure to be a part of the extended Royals family on and off the field.

“We believe we have some serious quality in this current team to have another successful tournament, however, there are always areas that can be strengthened, which is what we will be looking to do in the auction.”