IPL 2021: South Africa players likely to miss the first few matches of the league

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to host the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in India from April 9 to May 30 across six venues namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Ahead of the highly-anticipated T20 Extravaganza, the IPL franchises have been hit by a massive blow as it is learned that the South African players will be missing the first few matches of IPL 2021.

The Proteas cricketers who are likely to miss the opening matches of the marquee event include the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, and David Miller. All the aforementioned cricketers have been named in the South Africa squad for the three-match One Day International series against Pakistan, starting from April 2 in SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Though the ODI series will conclude on April 7, the players will have to serve the mandatory seven-day quarantine period in India before joining their respective teams for the practice and training sessions. The quarantine restrictions imposed by the BCCI can result in the Proteas players missing the action for the first few days of the league. However, if they are shifted directly from one bio-bubble to another they might not have to undergo hard quarantine for seven days.

Lungi Ngidi to join the CSK camp on April 5 for IPL 2021

A few days back, CSK CEO Kasi Vishwanathan had revealed that the Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi will arrive in India on April 5 and therefore will be giving the CSK’s opening game against Delhi Capitals on April 10, a miss.

“Ngidi will join the team only after April 5. Ngidi will have to follow the same guidelines as others and will be put in quarantine once he arrives. Therefore he will not be available for selection for the opening game,” Kasi Vishwanathan was quoted as saying by InsideSport.

This also means that there are high chances of Mumbai Indians playing their inaugural game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on April 9 without the services of their ace-opening batsman Quinton de Kock. However, the team who will be most affected by the absence of Proteas for the first few matches has to be Delhi Capitals.

Rabada and Nortje form an integral part of the team’s bowling attack and the fierce pace duo was one of the main reasons behind DC reaching the final of the league in IPL 2020.