England keeper Jos Buttler ready to take IPL bow

New Delhi: England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler has reportedly expressed his desire to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season even as he continues to be Jonny Bairstow's number two in Three Lions Test squad.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the 25-year-old will enter in the second tier of the auction, and is understood to be a significant target for Kolkata Knight Riders, the franchise that was formerly coached by England coach, Trevor Bayliss.

"Obviously Jonny has done fantastically well in the Test series, so he is going to be in that side for a while. [ECB director] Andrew Strauss is keen to get guys playing in these overseas tournaments, [and] for me it seems the right decision at this time.

"As an English player it is always quite complicated fitting it in. But this was a great window for me to try it out and with the players around you, you'd think you can learn not just about Twenty20 but all cricket," Buttler said.

He is the second costliest England player, behind Kevin Pietersen, to be listed in the IPL 2016 player auction which will be held on February 6 in Bangalore. Buttler has a base-price of INR 1.5 crore (£150,000), while Pietersen has INR 2 crore (£200,000). Chris Jordan, Sam Billings, Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah are other England players in the list.

In the recently concluded Test series in South Africa, Buttler was replaced by Jonny Bairstow. But he is likely to return as the first choice keeper in both the limited overs' series against the Proteas.

The ninth edition of the cash-rich Twenty20 cricket league will be held from April 8 to May 24.