In a major setback to the Chennai Super Kings, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has pulled out of the 14th edition of IPL (Indian Premier League).
Chennai Super Kings will take on Delhi Capitals in their first match on April 10.
Josh Hazlewood decided to give this year’s IPL a miss to keep himself fresh for the Ashes and the T20 World Cup lined up later this year.
“It’s been a long 10 months in bubbles and quarantine at different times, so I decided to have a rest from cricket and spend some time at home and in Australia in the next two months,” Hazlewood told cricket.com.au.
“We’ve got a big winter ahead too. The West Indies is going to be a long tour, with Bangladesh (T20 tour) potentially thrown on the end of that.
“Then potentially the T20 World Cup leading into the Ashes, so it’s a big 12 months, as it always is with Australia, and I want to give myself the best chance to be mentally and physically ready for that. That’s the decision I’ve made, and it sits pretty well with me,” Josh Hazlewood added.
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Josh Hazlewood is the third Australian cricketer after Josh Philippe (RCB) and Mitchell Marsh (SRH) to have pulled of IPL 2021.
IPL 2021 will begin on April 9.
“I haven’t been bowling a great deal with plans to play T20 cricket until after this game and also the weather wrecked my chances – I probably missed five sessions outdoors,” Josh Hazlewood said.
“The workloads are a bit too low … to play (both) Wollongong and the Shield final if we make it – hopefully I can use the next two weeks to build up and if we’re in the Shield final I can play that.”