England captain Eoin Morgan has defended missing a one-day international to return to the Indian Premier League this spring.
The batsman was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in Monday's auction and has been given permission to play in the whole tournament from April 8 to May 24.
Morgan, whose duck in the 111-run thrashing by Australia in England's World Cup opener on Saturday was his fourth in five innings, will therefore be unavailable for the match against country of birth Ireland on May 8.
However, the run-shy 28-year-old has insisted that his experience in the lucrative Twenty20 tournament will serve him better in the long run.
"Yeah, that means I won't go to Ireland," he told reporters. "The chairman of selectors and the director of cricket have allowed the guys who have got picked up in the IPL, or went into the auction, to miss that Ireland game in order to expose themselves to opportunities in the IPL in order to learn more about their game.
"No I don't think it is [unacceptable]. Probably if you're being a little short-sighted it might do, but I think in the longer run it will serve me well.
"[Playing in the IPL] does give you great confidence, you learn a lot along the way and it gives you great energy. Going back to [the IPL] is a huge privilege."
Morgan will skipper England in their second World Cup group game against New Zealand in Wellington on Friday.
Joe Fish
