Dawid Malan
Dawid Malan. Image Credits: Twitter

South Africa opener Aiden Markram will join the Punjab Kings team for the second half of the IPL 2021, to be played in the UAE, as a replacement for Dawid Malan. The Englishman has pulled out of the remainder of the season to spend time with his family ahead of the T20 World Cup and the following Ashes in Australia.

Dawid Malan had made his IPL debut in India’s leg; the left-hander scored a run-a-ball 26 against the Delhi Capitals. Dawid Malan was part of the Test series against India and scored fifty in the victorious game in Leeds.

Punjab had earlier roped in England legspinner Adil Rashid and Australian fast bowler Nathan Ellis as replacements for Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith.

Aiden Markram replaces Dawid Malan for Punjab Kings

Aiden Markram
Aiden Markram. Source: Twitter

This will be the first stint for Aiden Markram in the IPL. The 26-year-old is selected in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad, and playing in the UAE will give him the crucial experience of the conditions which would come in handy during the world event.

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The right-hander, who occasionally bowls off-spin, has played 26 Tests, 34 ODIs, and 13 T20I for the Proteas and is an in-form batsman.

The KL Rahul-led outfit have their work cut out for the rest of the season – they are sitting at the 6th spot on the points table, after securing 3 wins in 8 games in the first half of the tournament. They will take on the Rajasthan Royals on September 21 in Dubai.

Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo: Twitter)

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians trio of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav have reached Abu Dhabi from Manchester via a charter flight after the fifth Test against England at Old Trafford was cancelled.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore pair of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj will be reaching Dubai on Sunday morning. All players arriving from Manchester are required to undergo a six-day quarantine in their hotel rooms before joining the bio-bubbles of their respective teams