Big blow for LSG, Delhi Capitals stars as they lose national team contract ahead of T20 World Cup

The central contracts provided by the national cricket teams’ boards have been a talking point since last month.
 By Darpan Jain Updated: Mar 26, 2024, 18:48 IST
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Amidst the IPL carnival, another cricket board denied central contracts to two of their premium stars, who have previously been integral members of the team.

The central contracts provided by the national cricket teams’ boards have been a talking point since last month. The BCCI decided not to offer central contracts to Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, sparking several conversations.

Amidst the IPL carnival, another cricket board denied central contracts to two of their premium stars, who have previously been integral members of the team. Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced their annual contracted players for the 2024/25 season, and the Men’s squad had two big names missing.

Quinton de Kock, a wicketkeeper batter, and Anrich Nortje, a pace bowler, didn’t feature in the list provided by CSA on their official website. Quinton’s contract snub is understandable, for he might not play beyond the T20 World Cup 2024 for the Rainbow nation, so there is no point in including him.

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However, Anrich Nortje is a noticeable absence since he has been among South Africa’s recent mainstays in the pace attack. His exclusion has already led to numerous rumours about his future with South Africa.

Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje - premium players in IPL franchises

Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje have been one of the premium players of their respective franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). While Quinton features for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Anrich Nortje brings his pace for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the league.

Quinton has been among the most prolific run-scorers for LSG since their admission to the IPL in 2022. He has 655 runs at a whopping average of 34.47 while striking at 146.20, including four fifties and a century, in 20 innings for LSG.

Meanwhile, Anrich Nortje has snared 53 wickets at 17.39 balls apiece in 40 IPL innings for Delhi Capitals. No other bowler has dismissed as many batters as Nortje for DC since IPL 2020, depicting his superior quality with the ball.

Nortje has struggled with injuries lately but will return to competitive cricket while featuring for Delhi Capitals at some stage in IPL 2024. He is only 30, and CSA’s decision not to include him in their central contracted players’ list is baffling.

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