IPL 2021: Mitchell Marsh pulls out of the tournament, SRH rope in England star as replacement

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have suffered a big blow just a few days before the start of IPL 2021 as their all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has reportedly decided to skip the upcoming tournament. The Australian star has pulled out of the fourteenth edition of the competition citing his inability to spend long times inside the bio-secure bubble.

The players will have to enter the bio-bubble right from the time they join their respective teams and would be allowed to go outside only after the completion of the tournament. Marsh, however, has decided against spending the next couple of months in the bio-secure bubble. According to Cricbuzz, he has informed his decision to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well as Sunrisers Hyderabad a few days back.

As per the latest IPL bio-security protocols, Marsh would have had to stay in the mandatory seven-day quarantine before entering the bio-secure bubble formed for his team. The 29-year old had missed the better part of last year’s IPL too after the Hyderabad-based franchise secured his services for INR 2 crore in the 2020 auction.

Marsh had twisted his ankle in SRH’s very first match of IPL 2020 and was later ruled out of the entire tournament. SRH had replaced him with West Indies Test captain Jason Holder who did well with both bat and ball.

Mitchell Marsh’s replacement

The report further stated that SRH have already roped in a replacement for Mitchell Marsh. The 2016 IPL winners have roped in a prominent England batsman who did well in the just-concluded T20I series against India. The player could be Jason Roy who went unsold in the auction earlier this year and impressed against India.

The hard-hitting opener finished the T20I series as the fourth-highest run-scorer and also scored a fifty in the subsequent ODI series. Roy has previously played for Delhi Capitals in the IPL but could not deliver as per expectation. Meanwhile, the fourteenth edition of the IPL is scheduled to start on April 9. Defending champions Mumbai Indians will play against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament-opener. SRH, on the other hand, will open their campaign on April 11 against Kolkata Knight Riders.