The 13th season of the IPL is taking place in the UAE with players housed in a bio-bubble due to the threat of coronavirus. The players were stuck inside their homes as the governments had announced lockdowns in their respective countries. The players were given approximately one month to prepare with their franchises before the start of the tournament. While some players opted to pull out before the tournament began citing personal reasons, a few others have been forced out with injuries.
Here’s a list of players who failed to be with their teams for the complete duration of the league:
1) Suresh Raina: The CSK stalwart is a vital cog in the Chennai batting and fielding unit. He has played some of the finest knocks in the IPL donning the yellow jersey. The 33-year-old pulled out of IPL 2020 citing personal reasons and is one of the most high-profile departures from the Indian Premier League this season.
2) Harbhajan Singh: The veteran spinner became the second CSK player to pull out of IPL 2020 citing personal reasons. The 40-year-old is one of the most decorated players in the league and helped CSK to the 2018 title.
3) Lasith Malinga: Mumbai Indians’ and IPL’s most successful bowler decided to opt out of IPL 2020 citing personal reasons. The 37-year-old rejoined as a MI player in 2019 after serving a year in the franchise’s coaching staff. Australian pacer James Pattinson was named as the Sri Lankan’s replacement. This will also be Pattinson’s first stint in IPL, having played in Australia’s Big Bash T20 League, representing Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat.
4) Kane Richardson: The Australian was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 4 crore in the IPL Player Auction but decided to pull out of the competition, wanting to be with his wife during the birth of their first child. Fellow Australian Adam Zampa was named as his replacement. 28-year-old Zampa had previously represented Rising Pune Supergiants during their two-year stint in IPL.
5) Dwayne Bravo: The all-rounder from West Indies has been an extremely crucial player for the Yellow Army over the years. Bravo, who missed out on CSK’s initial matches in IPL 2020, has now been ruled out of the tournament with a groin injury. He picked up six wickets from as many games.
6) Mitchell Marsh: The Australian all-rounder had a forgettable start to IPL 2020 as he was ruled out of the tournament after twisting his ankle while bowling his first over against Royal Challengers Bangalore. This was a huge blow for SRH as his injury meant a lot of tinkering with plans after only their first game.
7) Ishant Sharma: The 32-year-old had featured in only one game for the Delhi Capitals, returning wicketless, conceding 26 runs from his four overs. He was ruled out of the season with a rib-cage injury.
8) Amit Mishra: Mishra was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining an injury to the ring finger of his bowling arm during Delhi Capitals' match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Sharjah on October 3. He was seen wearing a temporary plaster on his finger during the course of the match, and watching from the sidelines.