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The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is all set to return for its ninth season from August 26. However, things have not started well for the T20 league as the teams have been forced to make changes to their plans and announce a new squad, as foreign players have pulled out of the league owing to national commitments. In the latest developments, it has been learned that three South African players and one Sri Lanka player have recently pulled out from the league.

The three South African players to move out of the 2021 season are Chris Morris, Anrich Nortje, and Rassie Van der Dussen. Chris Morris, who was set to represent Barbados Royals, has pulled out due to personal reasons. Meanwhile, Rassie Van der Dussen and Anrich Nortje will not be available for selection as they will be with the national team for their tour to Sri Lanka. Both the players have been named in South Africa's ODI and T20I squads against Sri Lanka. Wanindu Hasaranga will also miss this edition of CPL as he will also be with his national team.

The CPL franchises have named the replacements for these players and have announced their fresh squads. Glenn Phillips has been named as Morris' replacement in the Royals' squad. Netherlands' Paul van Meekeren replaced Nortje and Van der Dussen in St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Faf du Plessis has been retained as St Lucia Kings' captain but his participation will depend on his recovery from concussion. The South African did not participate in The Hundred due to the same reason.

Three Afghanistan players set to feature in CPL 2021

In the reshuffled squads for the 2021 season, three Afghanistan players made a cut into different franchises and are all set to feature in this edition. Jamaica Tallawah has named fast bowler Qais Ahmed, while the Guyana Amazon Warriors will see Naveen-ul-Haq and Waqar Salamkheli playing for them. However, Ibrahim Zadran and Shafiqullah Ghafari, who were initially drafted by the Tallawahas and the Barbados Royals, respectively, could not make it to the reshuffled squads.

CPL 2021 will be played from August 26 to September 15. The Caribbean League was postponed to avoid any clash with the second leg of IPL that will begin from September 19. Warner Park has been locked in as the venue to host the matches with 50% of the crowd present at the stadium.