Jos Buttler: England wicketkeeper 'desperate' to play in IPL

Jos Buttler lost his England Test place after averaging just 8.5 in four innings against Pakistan in October

England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler says he is "desperate" to play in the Indian Premier League after losing his Test place to Jonny Bairstow.

Buttler, 25, has already been granted permission by the England & Wales Cricket Board [ECB] to register for February's IPL auction.

This season's IPL starts on 8 April and ends with the final on 24 May.

"I put my name in the auction, and I'm desperate to play in that competition," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

"It's never quite so simple for us English players to get into the IPL, but I've got a window that has opened up, being out of the Test side, and hopefully a side will pick me up."

Buttler turned down the chance to play in the IPL two seasons ago, opting instead to play first-class cricket with Lancashire in a bid to break into the Test side following his move from Somerset.

The Lancashire wicketkeeper, who is centrally-contracted with England, could miss up to five of the Red Rose's County Championship Division One fixtures if he joins an IPL side that progresses all the way to the IPL final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

'An amazing experience'

Buttler remains one of England's best limited-overs batsmen despite his struggles at Test level, and is likely to attract a sizeable fee in the IPL.

Jos Buttler hit 10 fours and eight sixes in his 116 not out from 52 balls against Pakistan in Dubai in November

He was part of the Lancashire side that won the 2015 NatWest T20 Blast, hitting a match-winning 71 from 35 balls in a group match against Yorkshire at Headingley and a 37-ball 53 in the quarter-final against Kent at Canterbury.

In November, he broke his own record as the scorer of England's fastest one-day international century, when he smashed a 46-ball hundred against Pakistan in Dubai.

Buttler says a spell in the IPL is as much about improving himself as a player as improving his bank balance, citing the opportunity to play with the game's greatest stars as a factor in his decision.

"When you look at the money side of things as an English player, it's not quite as good as you think it is," he said.

"The experience you'll gain playing with the world's best players, where cricket is followed like football is in England - that can only be an amazing experience.

"To share dressing rooms with some of the best players in the world will improve your game in all three formats."

On winning back his England place

Buttler, who was dropped from the Test team in October after performing poorly in the first two matches against Pakistan, accepts that he will be out of the side for the foreseeable future but says he wants to be next in line should Bairstow lose his place.

"Yeah, it looks like that - Jonny's done really well, and it looks like he's cemented his place for a bit," he continued.

"That's fine, that's how it is, life will go on, I'll keep trying hard. We've got these one-dayers to look forward to, the Twenty 20s, and if the chance ever comes again, you want to make sure you're the next cab off the rank."