Picture Credit: Twitter
Delhi Capitals have included Australian cricketer Ben Dwarshuis as a replacement for England all-rounder Chris Woakes for the remainder of IPL 2021. Woakes was part of the recently concluded Test series against India but won't be heading to the UAE for the second phase of IPL. Woakes played 3 matches in the first half of the competition, scoring 15 runs and scalping 5 wickets.
Talking about Dwarshuis, the 27-year-old boasts of a great record in T20 cricket having scalped 100 wickets in 82 T20 matches at an average of 23.73. The left-arm pacer, who plays for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, is the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the history of the Australian league with 85 wickets in 69 matches.
The franchise made the announcement on their social media account. "Ben Dwarshuis is ready to ROAR. Welcome to the DC family, Ben. Read more https://bit.ly/3E93VTr #YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021," their tweet read.
Check out the Tweet here:
England players opting out in view of busy international schedule ahead
A report carried by the Guardian confirms that the decision to skip IPL by England players are being taken keeping in mind England's busy schedule. Woakes will not only be part of the T20 World Cup but is also more or less certain of playing the Ashes. Thereby, he has opted to give IPL a miss to spend some time at home and away from the rules and restrictions of the bio-secure environment. Earlier, Punjab Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad announced Aiden Markram and Sherfane Rutherford as replacements for England's Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow respectively.
DC players part of India's Test squad in England arrive in UAE
Meanwhile, the players of the Delhi Capitals who were part of the Indian squad for the Test series against England landed in Dubai on Sunday.
"The players, including Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw & Umesh Yadav, underwent Covid-19 tests upon arrival in Dubai," said Delhi Capitals.
"The players will be serving a 6 day hard quarantine, as per IPL protocols, during which they will be tested thrice. Thereafter, the players will join the rest of the Delhi Capitals squad, who are already part of the bio-bubble," the statement added.