IPL 2021: 5 Players Who Might Miss The First Week Of The Tournament

The Pakistan team is scheduled to play the limited-overs series against the hosts South Africa which might see some of the South African players missing the first week of the IPL 2021. The South African tour for Pakistan starts with a three-match ODI series followed by a four-match T20 series with the venues being Centurion and Johannesburg. The IPL schedule has been announced and it starts on April 9.

The Pakistan series against South Africa starts on April 2 and ends on April 16. With the quarantine restrictions and bio bubble in place, the South African players are likely to miss a minimum of the first-week action of the IPL and most probably will be ready in place by the third or fourth game for each franchise. The most affected franchises will be Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians out of the eight franchises.

5 Players Who Might Miss The First Week Of The Tournament:

Quinton De Kock:

Quinton De Kock has been an integral part of the South African team and he will surely be part of the squad for the Pakistan series which means that Mumbai Indians will have to wait for his arrival until the first three games at least. Mumbai Indians play their first game against RCB on April 9, followed by KKR on April 13 and SRH on April 17.

Mumbai Indians have excellent backups for every player and Ishan Kishan can keep wickets for the first three games if needed. Chris Lynn might be the best replacement for Quinton De Kock at the top of the order for the first three games and he is not a bad choice though with his excellent striking ability. Also, this will an opportunity for Mumbai Indians to try out Chris Lynn who did not get a chance in the playing Xi last year.

Kagiso Rabada:

Kagiso Rabada has been the backbone of the Delhi Capitals bowling lineup for the last three years and he will be sorely missed by the franchise in the first week. Delhi Capitals are scheduled to play their first game on April 10 against CSK, followed by RR on April 15 and PKBS on April 18 which means Rabada could possibly return for the third game.

Rabada won the purple cap last year with 30 wickets in 17 games which is the highest in a season in the IPL history. He has been the number one bowler for South Africa as well in the last two years and he will surely be picked up in the squad for the Pakistan series. He is a wicket-taker always and has taken 61 wickets in 35 IPL games so far at a strike rate of 13.2 which are extraordinary numbers. Delhi will be hoping to get his services as soon as possible.

Anrich Nortje:

Anrich Nortje was one of the finds of the tournament last year and his quick over against Jos Buttler was a memorable one from the IPL 2020. He clocked the fastest delivery of the tournament and hit the 150kmph very easily. He came in as a replacement for Chris Woakes and earned his place in the lineup with both hands. He finished as the fourth-highest wicket-taker overall in the tournament last year with 22 wickets in 17 games overall.

His partnership with Rabada was crucial in taking Delhi Capitals to the finals and he will be missed badly for the first two games by the Delhi franchise. Nortje has improved as a bowler in international cricket as well after his successful stint in the IPL and looks to be a destructive bowler in all formats for South Africa. His raw pace along with accurate lines and lengths will be handy for the nation going forward.

Faf Du Plessis:

Faf Du Plessis recently announced his retirement from the longest format of the game and looks to concentrate on limited-overs games for South Africa with the T20 Worldcup coming up in successive years. Du Plessis is a former captain of the South African team and has been the mainstay of the batting lineup once the greats like Kallis, Devilliers had retired.

Watson has retired from all forms of the game which means that Faf had the opportunity to bat at the top but he will be missing at least three games due to the Pakistan series. CSK has relied on Du Plessis over the years as he has done the job on many occasions for the franchise. Faf Du Plessis was the highest run-scorer for CSK last year with 449 runs in 13 games he played in IPL 2020.

Lungi Ngidi:

Lungi Ngidi had an impressive debut to his international career and rose up the ranks to getting picked up in the auction by the CSK franchise. His ability to hit the good lengths consistently as well as at good speeds has been the biggest strength for him and he did well in his debut season in the IPL as well.

So far, Lungi Ngidi has taken 20 wickets in 11 IPL games with best figures of 4 for 11 which was outstanding. With CSK not playing in Chennai wickets for the 2021 IPL, Lungi Ngidi will have a major role to play once he returns from South Africa if he gets picked up for the Pakistan series. CSK are scheduled to play their games in Mumbai which is a wicket that assists the fast bowlers really well and Ngidi should be able to use the pitch to his advantage this season.