In Pics - Players who have pulled out of IPL 2020

Lasith Malinga announced that he will be unavailable for the 13th edition of Indian Premier League which kicks off from September 19th. Mumbai Indians announced Australian speedster James Pattinson as Malinga’s replacement for IPL 2020. Malinga will miss the tournament due to his father’s sickness and he has decided to spend time with his family. (Image credit: Twitter)

Chennai Super Kings suffered another blow on Friday when senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh pulled out of IPL 2020 for personal reasons. The vastly experienced 40-year old Harbhajan has 417 Test wickets, 269 ODI scalps and 235 victims in the Twenty20 format. Despite the passage of time he has kept himself fit.  He had a productive last season with CSK in the IPL with 16 wickets from 11 matches at a creditable economy rate of 7.09. The off-spinner has been with the Chennai team for the past two years. Harbhajan said in his Twitter account, “Dear friends, I will not be playing in IPL this year due to personal reasons. These are difficult times and I would expect some privacy as I spend time with my family. @Chennai IPL CSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL. Stay safe and Jai Hind.” (Image credit: Twitter)

Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina has opened up about the actual reasons behind his sudden decision to fly back home from UAE and give IPL 2020 a miss. The left-hander said he had to come back for his family as there was something that needed to be addressed immediately. “It was a personal decision and I had to come back for my family. There was something that needed to be addressed immediately on the home front,” Raina said. Raina, who has represented CSK in all 10 seasons the franchise has been a part of the IPL, said he is looking forward to playing IPL for the next four-five years. No replacement has been named for Raina in the Chennai Super Kings side. (Image credit: Twitter)

Kane Richardson was picked in the Royal Challengers Bangalore side for IPL 2020 but he had to make the ‘difficult’ decision to withdraw from the competition. Richardson has revealed that the birth of his first child and the global travel restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic were the key factors behind his decision to withdraw from IPL 2020. Richardson is currently with the Australia squad for the Twenty20 and ODI series against England. After the end of the tour, he will head back to Australia for a two-week quarantine before heading back home to South Australia. (Image credit: Twitter)

Kolkata Knight Riders face a big blow ahead of the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League, as fast bowler Harry Gurney has been ruled out due to shoulder injury.  The English pacer is set to undergo a shoulder operation ruling him out of the entire IPL 2020. Gurney played eight matches for the Knight Riders in the 2019 season, taking seven wickets. He also received a man-of-the-match award in the game against Rajasthan Royals, where he had figures of 2/25. Ali Khan of the USA, who played for the Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2020, has been named as the replacement. (Image credit: Twitter)

Chris Woakes had pulled out of the IPL, citing personal reasons. He was acquired by Delhi Capitals in the 2019 IPL auctions. However, the Capitals secured the services of South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje as replacement for Woakes ahead of the 13th edition of the league. (Image credit: Twitter)

England opener Jason Roy was ruled out of the T20I series against Pakistan and later pulled out of the Delhi Capitals squads as he wanted more time to work on his fitness. Jason Roy had suffered a left side strain and thus missed out on the Pakistan T20Is. The opener will be working on getting back to fitness in the next few months. Roy said that during the lockdown he had maintained a routine of regular running and cycling but had remained away from regular net session. The opener believes that it will be a good opportunity for him now to train and get fit. (Image credit: Twitter)