Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer player profile

Few cricketers have broken into international cricket with as much breathless anticipation in the lead-up as Archer.

A silky fast bowler and dangerous lower-order hitter from Barbados, Archer is capable of hair-raising speeds. He played for West Indies Under-19s in 2013, but soon declared his intention to play for England when he moved to the country, taking advantage of his British passport (thanks to his English father). He broke into Sussex's first-class side in 2016, when he made his debut in all three formats and took 35 wickets in all, 23 of them at 30 runs apiece in Division Two; he also struck 72 in his debut match from No. 8 against Essex. The following season fetched him a bumper crop of Championship wickets - 61 at a little over 25 each in Sussex's fourth-place finish on the table - and an average of over 45 with the bat.

The possibility of Archer's inclusion in England's ODI World Cup squad in 2019 was hotly discussed ahead of that tournament when the ECB changed its qualification rules, which made him eligible after three years of residency rather than the expected seven. He duly played the World Cup, with three ODIs under his belt till then, and starred with 20 wickets in England's run to the title, bowling the Super Over that ended the final - perhaps the most thrilling ODI of all time.

Later that season Archer made an immediate impact in Test cricket too. On debut, he reached speeds of 96mph against Australia at Lord's, striking both Steven Smith and his concussion replacement Marnus Labuschagne, on the helmet. He took 22 wickets in the series, having missed the first Test, including six-fors at Headingley and The Oval.

Things went downill after that. On a lifeless pitch at Mount Maunganui in late 2019, he bowled 42 overs in a single innings, and the workload seemed to take a massive toll: he reported various niggles over the next 18 months, during which he only played a handful of Tests, and in 2021 had surgery on his elbow. After an aborted initial comeback, Archer then suffered a lower-back stress fracture just as he was about to return, and spent nearly two years out of international cricket before making his way back in white-ball cricket in early 2023.

In 2024, he played all of England's eight games in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, finishing with ten wickets. He has been a regular in short-format leagues across the world. He had two seasons with Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL before his international breakthrough, taking 34 wickets in all as his side made it to the knockouts. After his return from injury, he plied his trade for the likes of Southern Brave in the Hundred, and in the IPL for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.

Jofra Archer IPL factfile

- Jofra Archer landed his first IPL contract when Rajasthan Royals (RR) bought him for INR 7.2 crore ahead of the 2018 season. That came on the back of an impressive T20 Blast for Sussex in 2017, and Big Bash League for Hobart Hurricanes in 2017-18.

- Archer played three straight seasons for RR from 2018-20. During that time, he pocketed 46 wickets at an average of 21.32. He was even named the MVP for his 20 wickets during IPL 2020 in the UAE. But a finger surgery and a long-standing elbow injury ruled him out of IPL 2021.

- Despite being set to miss IPL 2022 due to an elbow injury, Mumbai Indians (MI) got into a bidding war - and won it - ahead of the mega auction that year. MI got him for INR 8 crore, even as Archer ended up missing the season. He made his debut for MI in their season opener in 2023, but missed the next four games after again experiencing discomfort in his right elbow in his first match for MI.

- Archer did return later during IPL 2023, and played four games. But those had come only after he had flown to Belgium to visit an elbow specialist. He was ruled out of the remainder of the season after playing in those four matches. In 2024, the ECB pulled him out of the IPL to manage his workload.

- But after an injury-free 2024 for England, Archer was bought for INR 12.50 crore at the mega auction for 2025, as he made his way back to RR.