IPL 2022: 5 Delhi Capitals players to be unavailable for Mumbai Indians match
Delhi Capitals (DC) are set to miss out on quite a few of their big names in the early stages of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). The team, led by Rishabh Pant, is set to begin their campaign on Sunday, March 27 against the five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
The Capitals qualified for the playoffs last time around, but two back-to-back losses at the hands of champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) led to their elimination from the tournament. They are yet to get their hands on the trophy and the absence of some of their star players may not help their cause.
5 overseas stars unavailable for Delhi Capitals
David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Mustafizur Rahman are set to miss the first few games for the Capitals. Warner and Marsh are currently busy taking part in the bilateral Test, ODI and T20I series in Pakistan. The series ends on Tuesday, April 5, almost 10 days after the start of the next season on March 26.
The ODI series will get underway on Tuesday, March 29. Ngidi and Mustafizur are set to take part in the three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and South Africa. The series ends on March 23 after which they will be able to join the Capitals. While Marsh, Warner, Mustafizur and Ngidi are busy in their international duties, same is not the case with Nortje.
The Proteas pacer hasn’t played any form of cricket after the T20 World Cup 2021 in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The speedster has been suffering from a hip injury and won’t be taking part in South Africa’s home ODIs as well against Tamim Iqbal’s Bangladesh. With around a week left for the IPL, Nortje may struggle to gain full fitness.
Prior to the mega auction, the Capitals retained Nortje along with skipper Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Axar Patel. Meanwhile, after the ongoing international matches, the other four Capitals’ players will have go through a mandatory quarantine period before they can join the squad. KKR and CSK will take part in the opening game on March 26 at the Wankhede Stadium.