IPL 2022: Anrich Nortje Arrives In India To Join Delhi Capitals (DC) Franchise

Delhi Capitals, who played in the final of the IPL 2020 and in the playoffs of the IPL 2021, have sighed a huge relief as their South African speedster Anrich Nortje shared a photo on his Instagram, confirming his arrival in Mumbai for the upcoming 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League.

Nortje has been out of commission since the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 tournament, as he is dealing with a persistent hip issue. This led to Rishabh Pant and Co. sweating on his availability since the tournament ended in December, given that they had retained Nortje for INR 6.5 crores ahead of the IPL 2022 auction.

In the 2021 season, Anrich Nortje played eight games, picking up 12 wickets at a stunning average of 15.58. Overall, he has 34 wickets at 20.56. Although they have Mustafizur Rahman and Lungi Ngidi available, Nortje’s impact with the new ball is in a league of its own.

He Is Not Ready For Action: Cricket South Africa (CSA) Medical Officer Dr. Shuaib Manjra

Meanwhile, the injury has forced Anrich Nortje to miss a load of international cricket for the South African team. This included the home Test series against India in January and the ongoing ODI and Test series against Bangladesh.

Cricket South Africa (CSA)’s medical officer was recently quoted in a local newspaper saying “he is not ready for action.”

Dr. Shuaib Manjra had said: “He has been seen by three different orthopedic surgeons. He is struggling with loading and doing most of the other rehab work. He is not ready for action. I guess it’s frustrating.

“He keeps fit, he works extremely hard. All goes fine, except for when he picks up his bowling loads. He has got discomfort. We have identified three different problems between back and hip and we don’t know which is primary.”

However, his arrival in India may be taken as an indication that Cricket South Africa (CSA) has cleared Anrich Nortje for participation in the upcoming IPL 2022. Now, all will rest on the Delhi Capitals’ medical team and if they find him fit adequate to continue bowling.

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