IPL 2023: 5 players who might miss few matches due to national duty

Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje and David Miller. (Photo Source: Twitter)

With the 2023 edition of the IPL right around the corner, teams have started gearing up for the marquee tournament. Preparations at each camp are underway to make the most out of the acclimatization phase and put their best foot forward in order to place contention for the coveted silverware.

However, there are many teams that have been hit with unfortunate news at the outset of the tournament. While some teams have lost players to injuries, others have had to rethink their configuration because of players missing out on account of various other reasons.

Similarly, many players are expected to miss out on the tournament at least partially, owing to their obligations to fulfill national commitments. While most cricket boards generally give a free corridor to facilitate the organization of the cash-rich league, it will coincide with a few bilateral series on the initial days of the tournament. Thus, some key players might not be seen taking part in the early phase of IPL 2023.

Here are 5 players who are expected to miss the first few matches of the IPL on account of national commitments:

Wanindu Hasaranga – Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB):

The Sri Lankan leg spinner is one of the key assets when it comes to RCB’s bowling lineup. He averaged 16.54 while bowling in the 2022 season of the IPL and scalped 26 wickets, the second-most of the season. He is also a handy striker of the ball who can score quick runs to give a breather to his team.

Hasaranga claimed a 5-wicket and a 4-wicket haul in just the second season of his IPL career. Hasaranga who was chosen by RCB over Yuzvendra Chahal on account of his batting prowess proved to be a quality replacement with the ball for the latter who won the Purple Cap with just one more wicket than him.

He is set to miss a few games initially in the tournament as it would coincide with Sri Lanka’s white ball series against New Zealand. It will thus be a challenge for the team to get a frontline spinner in his absence.

Anrich Nortje – Delhi Capitals (DC):

Anrich Nortje. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

One of Delhi’s frontline bowlers, Anrich Nortje has had a magnificent IPL career ever since his debut in 2020. He has scalped 43 wickets at an economy of 9.72 in 30 IPL matches played so far. Initially considered to be playing under the shadow of Kagiso Rabada, Nortje marked a separate space for himself with his scintillating performances which can be understood from the price at which Delhi Capitals repurchased his services at the 2022 auctions.

However, he has been out of action on account of injury for quite some time now but hasn’t opted out of the IPL. Delhi would be desperate to see him in action which would beef up their pace attack. However, the franchise may have to prolong their wait as Nortje would be engaged in South Africa’s home series against Netherlands which is scheduled to be played from March 31.

Delhi Capitals have, however, found a like-to-like replacement for him in the form of Chris Jordan whom the team would be highly dependable on in the initial stage of the tournament.

David Miller – Gujarat Titans (GT):

David Miller (Photo Source: Twitter)

Another South African stalwart who is expected to miss a game or two in the upcoming IPL is David Miller. He is also set to take part in the ODI series vs Netherlands and will therefore be out of action for his franchise Gujarat Titans in the initial matches of the tournament.

Since his debut in 2012, David Miller’s best-ever IPL season came in 2022 after being promoted up the order for Gujarat Titans. As per the expectations, he delivered for the franchise, resulting in their titular win in the very first season of the IPL.

He scored 481 runs at an average of 68.71 and a strike rate of 142.73 in the 2022 edition. Going by these figures and his recent form, his absence is going to be felt by Titans when they take the field for the first couple of matches in the tournament.

Kagiso Rabada – Punjab Kings (PBKS):

Kagiso Rabada of South Africa. (Photo by Petri OeschgerGallo Images/Getty Images)

Kagiso Rabada is one of the most lethal bowlers in the IPL. He was an integral part of Delhi Capitals and played a pivotal role in their bowling line-up. He then moved to Punjab Kings where he again proved to be a match-winner with the ball.

He claimed 23 wickets in IPL 2022 and bowled with an economy of about 8.4, thus putting the opposition in crunch situations with timely breakthroughs and tapping the flow of runs.

He is also expected to miss a few games for Punjab on account of his national commitments against Netherlands. He is likely to join the PBKS camp in the early half of April following the completion of the ODI series.

Maheesh Theekshana – Chennai Super Kings (CSK):

Maheesh Theekshana. (Photo Source: Twitter)

With a series of splendid performances in the previous season, the young spinner from Sri Lanka managed to leave behind an indelible mark for his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. However, he too will miss out on a few games for CSK as he will feature in the T20I series vs New Zealand.

Signed by CSK for 70 lakhs, he was quite impressive in the 1st season where he bagged 12 wickets from 9 matches.

Theekshana finished with best-bowling figures of 4/33 against RCB. He was also quite economical and thus played a crucial role in CSK’s limited success last year.

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