T20 World Cup 2021: 5 great players who will miss the competition for the 1st time

AB de Villiers (L) and Yuvraj Singh will miss the T20 World Cup for the first time since the tournament's inception
AB de Villiers (L) and Yuvraj Singh will miss the T20 World Cup for the first time since the tournament's inception

The 2021 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup will begin next Sunday in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. 16 teams will battle against each other, with one of them emerging as the new world champions in the shortest format of the game on November 14.

Some of the biggest names in the cricket world like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle, Rashid Khan, Kieron Pollard, DJ Bravo, Eoin Morgan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam and several others will be in action during the T20 World Cup 2021.

However, five great players who featured in each and every edition of the T20 World Cup from 2007 to 2016, will be missing the tournament this year. Here is a list of those five cricketers.


#1 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh during ICC T20 World Cup 2014
Yuvraj Singh during ICC T20 World Cup 2014

The hero of India's first ICC T20 World Cup triumph, Yuvraj Singh, will miss the 2021 edition of the tournament. Singh has played 31 matches for India in the T20 WC, scoring 593 runs and picking up 12 wickets.

To date, Yuvraj has been the only player to smash six sixes in an over of an ICC T20 World Cup match. It will be interesting to see if any other player can join Yuvraj in that club.


#2 MS Dhoni - First captain to win ICC T20 World Cup

MS Dhoni led India to a historic win in 2007
MS Dhoni led India to a historic win in 2007

MS Dhoni was the first skipper to win the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007. He accomplished that feat in South Africa, and after that tournament, he led India in every T20 World Cup until 2016.

Dhoni retired from all formats of international cricket last year. The former Indian captain will play the role of mentor for the T20 World Cup 2021 India squad at the upcoming mega event.


#3 Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi is the highest wicket-taker in ICC T20 World Cup history
Shahid Afridi is the highest wicket-taker in ICC T20 World Cup history

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has played 34 matches for his country in the T20 World Cup, amassing 546 runs at an average of 18.83 and scalping 39 wickets at an average of 23.26.

Afridi has quit all forms of international cricket now. Like MS Dhoni, he has been playing in domestic leagues but not at the global level.

Check out the list of T20 World Cup winners from 2007 to 2016 here.


#4 AB de Villiers

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers is another player on this list who has retired from international cricket but is playing in the T20 leagues. The right-handed batter played for his country in all previous T20 World Cup events.

Rumors were rife this year that De Villiers would come out of retirement to play for South Africa in the big competition. However, the same did not happen.


#5 TM Dilshan

The third highest run-getter in ICC T20 World Cup history, TM Dilshan, played for Sri Lanka in all previous editions of the big tournament, winning the competition in 2014.

Dilshan has been a part of 35 matches for his country at the global stage, where he scored 897 runs, with his highest score being 96*. The Dilscoop specialist has now retired from international cricket.

Click here to get India Squad for T20 World Cup 2024. Follow Sportskeeda for the T20 World Cup Schedule, Points Table, and news

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