IPL 2021: Team Wise Players’ List To Miss The UAE

With the BCCI announcing that the IPL 2021 will be resuming in the UAE, several franchises are in a fix. Even though the BCCI will make sure that most of the overseas players be available, it looks unlikely that their respective cricketing boards will give the cricketers the NOC. Hence, the franchises will have to brainstorm a lot about their chances in the UAE leg of the competition. The franchises that will most be affected are the ones dependent hugely on their overseas contingent.

With the England Cricket Board (ECB) clarifying that they will not be giving NOC to their players for the cash-rich T20 league, 13-14 players are likely to miss out. Bangladesh players are also unlikely to receive the NOC, while the availability of Australian players is yet to be confirmed. While the board has asserted that IPL 2021 will go ahead regardless of who is available, the unavailability of overseas cricketers would surely affect the popularity of the tournament.

Let’s have a look at all IPL teams and the players likely to be unavailable for them in the UAE leg of IPL 2021:

#1 Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Chennai Super Kings came out all guns blazing in IPL 2021 as they were standing at the second place during the first phase of the tournament. Even though their opening clash against the Delhi Capitals resulted in a loss, they managed to win 5 games in a row after that. However, their overseas players like Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, and Faf Du Plessis played a crucial role in all those wins. Ali, who played at number three, not only performed well with the bat, but also with the ball. Curran also was impressed with his all-around abilities. Hence, their likeliness to miss the UAE leg will affect their chances.

CSK players likely to miss the UAE leg: Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Santer.

#2 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders had a forgettable outing in the first phase of IPL 2021 as they managed to win just a couple of games out of seven matches. Eoin Morgan just could not get going in this year’s tournament and he is likely to miss the UAE leg, Kolkata Knight Riders could go back to Dinesh Karthik to do the captaincy. While there are also rumors that Pat Cummins will be skipping the second phase, the 27-year old could miss it as he is one of the crucial players for Australia.

KKR players likely to miss the UAE leg: Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Seifert.

#3 Delhi Capitals (DC)

Delhi Capitals was standing at teh top of the table before the suspension of IPL 2021, as they won six games out of eight. The IPL 2020 finalists are likely to receive a boost in the form of Shreyas Iyer, who could return for the UAE leg if deemed fit. Yet, if Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje make themselves available, they will not feel the absence of some of the unavailable players. They are still come all all guns blazing to lift their maiden IPL trophy.

DC players likely to miss the UAE leg: Sam Billings, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis.

#4 Mumbai Indians (MI)

While Mumbai Indians start every IPL season as favorites, they struggled with their batting in most matches as their much-vaunted bowling unit pulled off a couple of wins. While the competition returning to the UAE is a significant boost to players like Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Quinton de Kock, MI will miss some crucial cogs like Trent Boult and James Neesham. However, they could still be tough to beat.

MI players likely to miss the UAE leg: Trent Boult, James Neesham, Adam Milne.

#5 Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Rajasthan Royals witnessed lots of ups and downs in the first leg of IPL 2021. While Sanju Samson was promising as a skipper, he was not good enough to inject some consistency in the team. RR is massively dependent on their overseas contingent and their crucial players like Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Liam Livingstone, and Mushtafizur Rahman likely to miss the UAE leg. Hence, they are likely to struggle and once again finish the competition in the lower half.

RR players likely to miss the UAE leg: Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Liam Livingstone, Andrew Tye, Mustafizur Rahman.

#6 Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Royal Challengers Bangalore seems to have the confidence of winning their maiden trophy in IPL 2021. Having finished third in the first leg of IPL 2021, Virat Kohli’s men still have a chance to lift the coveted crown in the UAE. However, they will have to deal with the loss of overseas players too and significant ones. Hence, the franchise will be expected to struggle with their combination in the UAE leg.

RCB players likely to miss the UAE leg: Josh Philippe, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa.

#7 Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Punjab Kings was yet another franchise, who had a pretty inconsistent outing in IPL 2021. However, they feel relieved with the comeback of KL Rahul, who missed their match due to appendicitis surgery. The owners would indeed feel disappointed by Jhye Richardson’s and Riley Meredith’s performances and hence, their loss would not impact them much as England players skipping the UAE leg will.

PBKS players likely to miss the UAE leg: Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Moises Henriques, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith.

#8 SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH)

SunRisers Hyderabadwitnessed their worst outing in IPL 2021 as their bowling unit leaked runs heavily, while their middle-order cost them at least a couple of wins. As a result, they are languishing at the bottom of the table. While the 2016 IPL champions performed well in the UAE in IPL 2020, they will find it difficult to win games in teh UAE this time as most of the main players will be missing the tournament.

SRH players likely to miss the UAE leg: Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh.