Picture Credit: IPL/BCCI
There is a smell of festivity in the air. Not only is the festival of colours- Holi- has arrived, there is a mega celebration of cricket that awaits us. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is coming back to India in 2021 and is all set to commence on April 9 with the defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the curtain raising clash at Chennai.
All the eight franchises have already started prepping up for the biggest T20 spectacle on the planet. However, there are reasons to worry for some of the teams as a few of their star players may not be available for the tournament owing to injuries.
Let us have a look these four players who might miss IPL 2021:
1. Shreyas Iyer
In a massive blow to the Delhi Capitals, their captain Shreyas Iyer may not play even a single game for them this season. Iyer looked all set to lead the franchise this year as well but was diagnosed with a partial shoulder dislocation after an injury in the first ODI between India and England at the MCA Stadium, Pune. If reports are to be believed, Delhi Capitals have already started looking for a new captain and Rishabh Pant has emerged as a likely contender ahead of the likes of Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin.
2. Sam Billings
Another candidate who could miss at least a few games of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is Sam Billings. Like the Delhi Capitals skipper, Billings too, injured his shoulder in the opening ODI of the India-England series. However, his injury seems less serious and he was only ruled out of the second ODI. It remains to be seen if the England wicketkeeper batsman could be match-fit for the final ODI and be available for selection for the Delhi Capitals for the entire IPL 2021.
3. Jofra Archer
The other injury concern is from the Rajasthan Royals camp, where speedster Jofra Archer's availability remains doubtful. The England cricketer pulled out of the three-match ODI series against India which has put doubts over his participation in the upcoming IPL season. "Jofra Archer is returning to the UK for further management and investigation of his right elbow injury," the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had clarified while announcing the squad for the ODI series.
4. Eoin Morgan
After Shreyas Iyer, another IPL captain is doubtful at least for the start of the IPL season and this is the KKR skipper Eoin Morgan. The England limited-overs leader injured his hand in the first ODI between India and England and has been ruled out for the remainder of the series. It remains to be seen if he is able to recover fitness in time for the start of the IPL otherwise we might see a new captain even for the Kolkata Knight Riders.