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In the lead-up to IPL 2021, many players have withdrawn from the tournament due to various reasons like injury or bubble fatigue.
In such cases, franchises are allowed to sign replacements having the same base price as the original players in their roster. But securing replacements has been a challenge for all teams in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nevertheless, let's take a look at the complete list of players for each of the eight teams who will not take part in the upcoming T20 tournament.
#1 IPL Team: Chennai Super Kings
Players Withdrawn: Josh Hazlewood:
Replacement: Not yet secured.
Players who'll miss the opening game: Lungi Ngidi.
Josh Hazlewood withdrew from IPL 2021, citing bubble fatigue, considering that he has been part of bio-bubbles for over ten months.
CSK haven't signed a replacement for Hazlewood yet, with some of the franchise's potential targets declining to join over COVID-19 concerns.
Meanwhile, Lungi Ngidi will also miss the first game of the IPL 2021 season, as he'll serve his mandatory 7-day quarantine. The Proteas pacer joined the CSK squad after the second ODI of the Pakistan series on Sunday.
CSK will kick off their IPL 2021 campaign against the Delhi Capitals on Saturday, April 10th, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Click here for an updated list of all IPL 2021 players.
#2 IPL Team: Delhi Capitals
Players Injured: Shreyas Iyer:
Replacement: None.
Players who'll miss the opening game: Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Axar Patel (COVID-19).
Shreyas Iyer is likely to miss the entirety of IPL 2021 after sustaining a shoulder injury while fielding in the ODI series against England. The in-form Rishabh Pant has been appointed the Delhi Capitals (DC) captain for the season.
Meanwhile, DC's premier overseas pace duo of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada will miss the opening few games after arriving from the ongoing South Africa-Pakistan ODI series. Axar Patel will also miss the first few games after testing positive for COVID-19; he will have to complete a 10-day quarantine.
While Shreyas Iyer's absence will be sorely missed, DC seem to have the squad depth to more than cover for him. DC open their IPL 2021 campaign against CSK on April 10th at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
#3 IPL Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
Players Injured: Rinku Singh
Replacement: Gurkeerat Mann Singh.
KKR have an almost fully fit squad for IPL 2021. Rinku Singh has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, so KKR signed Gurkeerat Singh Mann to replace him.
Gurkeerat Singh featured for RCB in IPL 2020, scoring 71 runs in five innings without being dismissed once. He's solid with the bat and can contribute some overs of off-spin with the ball.
Meanwhile, KKR captain Eoin Morgan was an injury scare before the start of the IPL season. He has, however, said that he would be fully fit for KKR's season opener against SRH on April 11th at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
#4 IPL Team: Mumbai Indians
Players who'll miss the opening game: Quinton De Kock.
The Mumbai Indians also boast a relatively fit squad ahead of their IPL 2021 campaign. They will, however, miss the services of star opener and wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock for the opening game of the season.
The South African left-hander will have to undergo quarantine after arriving from national duty in the ongoing series against Pakistan.
MI open their IPL 2021 campaign against RCB on April 9th in Chennai.
#5 IPL Team: Punjab Kings
Injuries/ Players missing the opening game: None.
The newly christened Punjab Kings (PBKS) seem to have a fully fit squad ahead of their opening game of the IPL 2021 season. The KL Rahul-led side was the busiest in the mini-auction earlier this year, managing to pick up some exciting pace bowlers and all-rounders ahead of the new season.
They have had no injuries or player withdrawals and will look to reach the playoffs after narrowly missing out last season.
PBKS open their IPL 2021 campaign against RR at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, April 12th.
#6 Rajasthan Royals
Players Injured: Jofra Archer
Replacement: None
Players who'll miss the opening game: David Miller.
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) were dealt a severe blow when Jofra Archer was ruled out of at least the first half of IPL 2021, as the player had to undergo elbow surgery. He could join the team later in the season, and that's why the Royals haven't looked for a replacement yet.
RR have a more than capable pacer in Chris Morris to lead the side's fast-bowling attack. However, it remains to be seen how they'll fare without Archer, who has been the team's talisman over the last few IPL seasons.
Meanwhile, David Miller, who was on fire for South Africa in the two ODIs against Pakistan, will miss RR's first game of the IPL 2021 season due to quarantine restrictions.
RR kick off their IPL 2021 campaign against PBKS on April 12th at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
#7 IPL Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Players who'll miss the opening game: Adam Zampa and Devdutt Padikkal (COVID-19).
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will miss the services of Devdutt Padikkal for the first few games of the IPL 2021 season.
Padikkal tested positive for COVID-19 in March, and he'll join the team only after he completes his quarantine. His absence could be huge for RCB, as he was their highest run-getter last season. It'll be interesting to see who'll open the batting with captain Virat Kohli at the start of the IPL season.
Meanwhile, Adam Zampa will also miss the opening game of the IPL season due to personal reasons.
RCB will open their IPL 2021 campaign against MI on April 9th at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad
Players Withdrawn: Mitchell Marsh
Replacement: Jason Roy.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were one of the first franchises to see a player withdraw from IPL 2021.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh withdrew from IPL 2021 owing to his inability to spend long periods inside bio-secure bubbles. SRH signed England opener Jason Roy as his replacement for the season, signing him for his base price of Rs 2 crore.
It is an interesting choice, as Marsh was a middle-order batsman, and Roy isn't a like-for-like replacement. Nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see how the SRH XI will look like this season.
SRH kick off their IPL 2021 campaign with a clash against KKR on April 11th at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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