The second half of IPL is almost upon us as the domestic cricketing extravaganza will resume its foreign phase from 19th of September with a blockbuster clash between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
The tournament had to be stopped midway as there was a bubble breach that led to multiple cricketers and staff inside the bubble testing positive. However, after due consideration, the tournament was scheduled to be in September as it had a perfect window between the Indian England series and the T20 World Cup.
In the second phase of the fray, many foreign players won’t be returning citing various reasons. We will take a quick look at five cricketers who will not making it to the second phase of the tournament.
#1 Pat Cummins
Cummins has so far been Kolkata’s best player by a proverbial mile in the last couple of editions. The man has belted out some solid performances both with the bat and the ball to keep the Knights afloat in the tournament. In the ongoing edition of the fray, he has banged 93 wickets from 7 games and claimed 9 wickets. Sadly, for Kolkata he won’t be a part of the remainder of the IPL with KKR snapping up Tim Southee as his replacement.
#2 Jos Buttler
Rajasthan’s beacon of excellence, Jos Buttler won’t be a part of cricket at least until the end of this year as he and his wife will be having their second kid. The man has been in blistering form in the ongoing edition of the tournament with a rollicking 254 runs from 7 games. More importantly, he has scored these runs at a stunning average of 153. His absence will be a tough one to fill.
#3 Ben Stokes
Stokes has taken an indefinite break from the game citing depression as the cause. The fact that he will not be participating in the remainder of the tournament will make things a lot worse for the Royals. The English all-rounder could only play a single match so far due to injury and will not be a part of the second phase of the tournament. The team is still looking for alternatives for one of the biggest names of the fray.
#4 Steven Smith
Smith transferred to Delhi Capitals just ahead of the 2021 IPL auction and couldn’t really conjure something magical that was expected of him. He garnered only 104 rums from 6 games which is a below par showdown. After some contemplation, the former Australian captain chose not to return for the return leg of the tournament.
#5 Riley Meredith
Meredith is a promising fast bowler hailing all the way from Tasmania and could have been a vital cog in Punjab’s plans given the fast bowling-friendly surfaces in UAE. However, the lanky Australian pacer won’t be featuring in the return leg for some unknown reason and this will make Punjab have a good look at their alternatives.
