Josh Little departs Indian Premier League to join Ireland qualification cause

Josh Little is making his way from Jaipur after departing the Indian Premier League to boost Ireland's hopes of World Cup qualification.

The 23-year-old left-armer has become a hot property in white-ball cricket, performing strongly in his maiden IPL campaign with Gujarat Titans after picking up a contract worth around €451,000.

The Dubliner missed Ireland's last three Test matches to take part in the tournament but is putting country first as they take on Bangladesh in three ODIs in the UK which will be hosted in Chelmsford, Essex next week.

Ireland need to claim a whitewash to automatically book their place at the World Cup in India later this year, and will need to head for the qualifier in Zimbabwe if they fail to do so.

Little's presence in the attack raises the team's chances, but they will still need to be at the top of their game and hope the weather in Essex allows the series to go ahead in full.

Vikram Solanki, director of cricket at Gujarat, said: "We wish Josh the best as he heads back to represent Ireland in the ODIs. He has had a good run in his first Indian Premier League and we look forward to welcoming him back once he finishes the ODI series."

Ireland are back in Test action when they face England at Lord's next month.