IPL 2020: List Of Cricketers Who Pulled Out And Their Replacements

Within a matter of a few days before the start of 2020 IPL edition, a handful of players have opted out of the tournament. It all began with Suresh Raina, who cited personal reasons as the justification behind pulling out. Five other cricketers from different franchises fell behind him to do the same. It has indeed come at a delicate time for them.

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It is worth noting that a few days ago, Chennai Super Kings’ camp fell prey to the ongoing pandemic, amongst which two Indian players were there too. Hence, that might have given certain cricketers insecurities about the bio-secure bubble. Therefore, they decided to opt out of the competition and spend time with their families.

We take a look at six cricketers who voluntarily pulled out of IPL 2020 and their replacements:

Harbhajan Singh:

Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, decided to opt out of 2020 IPL, owing to personal reasons. Harbhajan Singh notified the team management on Friday, who respected his decision to do the same. The 40-year old took to his official Twitter account and informed the same.

“I will not be playing IPL this year due to personal reasons. These are difficult times and I would expect some privacy as I spend time with my family. CSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL Stay safe and Jai Hind,” the 103-Test veteran tweeted.

The three-time champions are yet to announce his replacement.

Lasith Malinga:

Sri Lanka’s T20 skipper and IPL’s highest wicket-taker Lasith Malinga is one of the reasons behind Mumbai Indians’ four title victories. Lasith Malinga decided to skip IPL’13 due to his father’s illness and is understood he wishes not to leave his side.

Mumbai Indians’ owner Akash Ambani said as quoted by the franchise’s official website “Lasith is a legend and a pillar of MI’s strength. There is no denying the fact that we will miss Lasith’s cricketing acumen this season. However, we fully understand Lasith’s need to be in Sri Lanka with his family during this time,”

Australian speedster James Pattinson replaced him.

Suresh Raina:

Suresh Raina was perhaps the first cricketer to pull out of this year’s extravaganza, which came as a massive shock and setback for CSK. Several speculations were surrounding his departure as Suresh Raina confirmed family commitments as the reason to skip the 2020 edition.

Suresh Raina is the second-highest run-getter in IPL with 5368 runs under his belt and the most-capped player with 193 games. Not only is the 33-year old a prolific batsman, but he is a terrific fielder too and integral to the yellow army’s dominance. CSK are yet to name his replacement.

Jason Roy:

England’s limited-overs opener Jason Roy suffered a side strain before the T20 series against Pakistan, decided to opt out of IPL. While Jason Roy had sufficient time to recover from the injury, he wanted to take enough time to recuperate from the same. However, it wouldn’t affect the Delhi Capitals as they have a readymade opening combination in Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw.

The franchise replaced Roy with Australian left-arm seamer Daniel Sams, who finished as the highest wicket-taker in 2019-20 Big Bash League. Speaking on being part of the franchise, Sams said “The IPL is a huge platform for any cricketer, and back home, we all follow the tournament extremely closely every year,”

Chris Woakes:

England all-rounder Chris Woakes was yet another cricketer from Delhi Capitals to pull out of this year’s edition. Chris Woakes pulled out, owing to expecting a child during the timeline of IPL and not knowing when it will take birth. The bowling all-rounder has also played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore previously.

Nevertheless, it opened the doors for South African paceman Anrich Nortje. Anrich Nortje bagged an IPL deal with Kolkata in 2018; however, could not play due to an injury. Nevertheless, he could be expected to get a game this year. Anrich Nortje has also established his spot in the Proteas’ team, excelling in all three formats of the game this year.

Kane Richardson:

Australian seamer Kane Richardson decided to pull out from the 2020 IPL edition, owing to expecting the birth of his child. Kane Richardson has previously played for Bangalore and Rajasthan and was again about to don the jersey of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

On knowing Richardson deciding to skip the IPL, their director of cricket operations Mike Hesson said “We are disappointed to not have Kane’s skills with us this IPL as he certainly on top of his game. However once we found out Kane and Nyki’s baby was due during the IPL, it’s an exciting time and we were fully supportive of Kane wanting to be at the birth of the first child,”

The franchise decided to replace Richardson’s countryman and leg-spinner Adam Zampa, looking at the conditions and partnering Yuzvendra Chahal in the spin-department. Hesson said “When looking at our squad for UAE conditions we felt it was an opportunity to bring in another quality legspinner in Adam Zampa to provide cover for Chahal and also give us extra options if conditions suit spin as expected during the tournament,”

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