IPL 2019: 5 players who are likely to miss the start of the tournament

The cricket fraternity is getting ready for another season of the Indian Premier League. The biggest T20 carnival is set to begin on 23rd of March, with arch-rivals RCB and CSK fighting it out for a perfect start to the season.

It is a known fact that playing in the cash-rich league is every cricketer's priority during the Indian summer. This time though, the priorities have taken a toil as the ICC World Cup 2019 is just 2 months away.

Players like Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins have reinforced this conflict by opting out of IPL 2019. But there are several others who will miss at least the start of the tournament, for a variety of reasons.

Here is a look at five key players who will be forced to miss the initial stage of the IPL due to injury and/or national duties.

#1 Kane Williamson

Prior to last season, Kane Williamson was forced to spend a lot of time on the bench due to the team combination that SRH had. Williamson made his IPL debut in 2015 but his services were limited to a handful of games as SRH had a settled XI.

David Warner's unavailability in 2018 not only made Williamson a regular in the playing XI, but he was also asked to lead the team - which he did successfully as SRH finished the season as runner-ups.

Williamson injured his shoulder while fielding in the second Test against Bangladesh, and later the MRI scans confirmed that he had suffered a grade one tear to the pectoral minor muscle in his left shoulder. Although Williamson and the SRH management are yet to confirm on his availability, he will most probably miss the initial few games.

It remains to be seen how the franchise utilizes Williamson this year as Warner is back in the mix.

#2 Marcus Stoinis

Stoinis had a dream BBL season

Royal Challengers Bangalore have traded Mandeep Singh for Marcus Stoinis, which might turn out to be a steal after the kind of BBL season Stoinis had. He scored 533 runs at an average of 53.30, and his bowling was fruitful as well with 14 wickets in 13 games.

Stoinis has become Australia's premier all-rounder in limited overs formats. And as an obvious result of that, he is part of the Australian team for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan.

Stoinis will not be available during the March portion of IPL, but RCB has able replacements in Colin de Grandhomme and Moeen Ali.

#3 Nathan Coulter-Nile

RCB fans will have to wait a little longer to see NCN in red and black

It looks like the Royal Challengers Bangalore team will be the most severely affected by the initial unavailability of Australian players.

Even after missing the entire last season due to injury, the RCB management trusted and retained Nathan Coulter-Nile. But their wait continues as his arrival will be delayed due to national duties.

Coulter-Nile has taken 36 wickets in IPL at an economy of 7.66 His recent batting exploits would be an added advantage to RCB, which is already filled with several big hitters.

#4 Ashton Turner

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 4

Ashton Turner became an overnight sensation after his match-winning innings against India in the fourth ODI, where he scored 84 runs of 43 balls which included 6 sixes. He looked at ease both against spinners and fast bowlers, providing the much-needed boost to the Australian lower middle order.

Only after this knock did people get to know that Rajasthan Royals bought him in the auction. At this point, it looks like a smart buy from RR, but one innings may be too little to judge the capabilities of a player.

Turner is part of the Australian squad for the Pakistan series as well, and will join the Royals in April.

#5 Jason Behrendorff

Behrendorff will play a key role for Mumbai Indians

Jason Behrendorff came into the limelight after he troubled the Indian batsmen in the T20s when Australia toured India the last time around. That also fetched an IPL contract for the 2018 season. Unfortunately though, he missed the entire season due to a back injury.

Mumbai Indians have backed him by retaining him for this season. A tall left-arm quick is what every franchise looks for to add some variety to the bowling attack, which is exactly what Behrendorff brings to the table.

Like other Australian internationals, his services will also be missed in the March leg. Australia are set to play five ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE starting on 22nd March, and the series will conclude on 31st March.