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Jos Buttler to miss Rajasthan Royals' opening IPL 2020 match

He is currently serving a mandatory quarantine after arriving in Dubai with his family

Jos Buttler comes into IPL 2020 with tremendous form behind him  •  BCCI

Jos Buttler comes into IPL 2020 with tremendous form behind him  •  BCCI

Jos Buttler will miss Rajasthan Royals' first IPL 2020 match, against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday in Sharjah, as he is currently serving his mandatory quarantine after having arrived in the UAE with his family.
"I'm unfortunately going to miss the first match for Rajasthan because I'm going to be doing my quarantine period because I'm here with my family - which is great that the Royals have allowed me to have my family out here," he said in an Instagram live from the official Royals handle. "It'll be a huge help in lockdown having my family here with me."
The players arriving from England - where Australia played England in a white-ball series recently - did not have to undergo quarantine as they were travelling from one bio-secure bubble into another. While Dubai has no mandatory quarantine period unless the person tests positive, IPL's mandatory six-day quarantine applies to Buttler - who was also a part of the England bubble - as he has travelled with his family separately.
Hopefully [I'll be batting] at the top. I like opening the batting in T20 but of course very happy to bat anywhere the captain and the coach want me to which is always good
Royals are also without Ben Stokes, who is currently in New Zealand with his family because of personal reasons. While there's no official word on his availability, Buttler hoped his England team-mate can make it to the UAE at some point.
"Hopefully [he'll come to UAE]," Buttler said. "I think Ben's taking some family time at the moment. Everyone wishes well with him, everyone's got him in our thoughts. He's such a good player so hopefully at some point he'll be able to join us in pink."
Buttler said that as much as he would like to open the innings when he is allowed to play, he would not mind batting at any position if the team required him to shore up the middle order in Stokes' absence.
"Hopefully [I'll be batting] at the top. I like opening the batting in T20 but of course very happy to bat anywhere the captain and the coach want me to which is always good," he said.
Royals are also monitoring the progress of captain Steven Smith, whose concussion symptoms ruled him out of all three ODIs against England, with ESPNcricinfo earlier reporting that the franchise remained confident he will be available for their first game.