IPL 2021: CSK was not prepared for Josh Hazlewood's sudden departure

The sudden departure of Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has left Chennai Super Kings dumbstruck ahead of the IPL 2021 season. Josh Hazlewood has decided to pull out of the upcoming season due to bio-bubble fatigue. Josh was all set to depart for India with other Australian players. However, he then decided to give this year's competition a miss in order to spend some time with his family. The CSK team management is yet to decide on a replacement for the fast bowler. The management has reportedly been taken aback by Josh Hazlewood's decision and was not prepared for such a massive blow so close to the start of the season.

Chennai had already witnessed the same scenario when Raina and Harbhajan withdrew their participation from IPL 2020 campaign last year. Their withdrawal left the team deprived of considerable quality, and the franchise failed to qualify for playoffs. Although the squad seems to be more balanced this time around, Hazlewood's departure is being seen as a considerable loss.

Haven't Decided on Any Replacement for Josh Hazlewood: Kasi Viswanathan

While speaking to the Indian-based sports news platform, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan stated that they haven't decided on any replacement for Hazlewood yet as they were not anticipating it. He further said that the management is yet to determine their way forward and added that they would decide in the coming days.

Chennai Super Kings bought Hazlewood for INR 2 crore in IPL 2020 auction. Although he did not feature for the team consistently last season, Hazlewood was retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2021 auction. He has played in just three IPL games so far, picking up one wicket at an economy rate of 6.4.

Apart from Hazlewood, Sunrisers Hyderabad's Mitchell Marsh and Royal Challengers Bangalore's Josh Philippe have also pulled out of the IPL. With an extensive cricketing calendar ahead, players like Hazlewood and Marsh are looking to utilize this time to recharge themselves at home rather than being a part of the IPL in a bio-bubble. Australia is going to play three ODI and as many Twenty20 matches in West Indies in June and July. They will then depart to Bangladesh in October for three warm-up games ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup in India. Chennai will play their first game against Delhi, led by Rishabh Pant, on April 10 at the Wankhede Stadium.

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