Delhi Capitals' Chris Woakes withdraws from IPL 2020 to stay fresh for the home summer

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just more than three weeks away now and all the teams are gearing up for the fierce contest. Delhi Capitals (DC) is no exception either as they will be looking to win the trophy for the first time. However, ahead of the season, they have been dealt with a major blow as the England all-rounder Chris Woakes has decided to pull himself out of the IPL.

The Capitals had secured Woakes’ services for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore in the auction which took place in December last year. The 31-year-old has already informed the franchise about his decision and if the reports are to be believed, the Capitals have already begun their search for the replacement.

While many of the foreign players wait for the opportunity to prove their mettle in the cash-rich T20 league, Chris Woakes’ decision comes as a surprise. However, the all-rounder wants to stay fresh to represent England during their international summer later this year according to Daily Mail.

Too much cricket reason for Chris Woakes pulling out

Tight scheduling is the major reason for Chris Woakes not travelling to India for the IPL. After playing a crucial role for England in the World Cup last year, he also played the Ashes which followed and toured New Zealand and South Africa over the winter. Currently, he is preparing for the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka.

Post the Test series which concludes on March 31, the likes of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Sam Curran will fly to India to take part in the IPL which, it seems, is a little too much for Woakes. England players are expected to be back from India by May 26 with the final of the tournament set to be played on May 24.

Soon after returning from the IPL, they will start preparing for the West Indies series at home. The Caribbeans are scheduled to play three Tests starting from June 4 in England and Chris Woakes wants to stay fresh for the busy home summer. It will be interesting to see who replaces him in the Delhi Capitals’ squad.