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Chennai Super Kings pacer Josh Hazlewood has decided to pull out of IPL 2021 season due to bio-bubble fatigue. The pacer was set to depart for India with other cricketers today, but he has decided to give this year's tournament a miss in order to spend some time with his family. After playing in all three formats during India's tour of Australia, the 30-year-old is currently a part of the New South Wales' set up in Australia's domestic one-day tournament.
Despite primarily being a Test player, Hazlewood has a decent record in the white-ball format as well. In nine T20I games, the 30-year-old has scalped nine wickets at an average of 36.78. He has featured in just three IPL games so far, picking up one wicket at an economy rate of 6.4.
Three other Australian cricketers have opted out of the IPL
Chennai Super Kings bought Hazlewood for INR 2 crore in IPL 2020 auction. Even though he didn't feature in the playing XI consistently for the team last season, Hazlewood was retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2021 auction. The pacer's decision to pull out from the tournament would've undoubtedly astonished the Yellow Army. However, the management still has enough time to pick a replacement for the Aussie paceman.
Apart from Josh Hazlewood, Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) Mitchell Marsh and Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) Josh Philippe have also pulled out of the tournament. With an extensive cricketing calendar ahead, cricketers like Hazlewood and Marsh are looking to use this time to recharge batteries at home. Australia is scheduled to play three ODI and as three T20 matches in West Indies in June and July. They will then depart to Bangladesh in October for three warm-up games ahead of the T20 World Cup in India.
Although Josh Hazlewood won't be a part of their setup, Chennai Super Kings have the likes of Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar, Sam Curran, and Dwayne Bravo in their fast-bowling unit. MS Dhoni and the team couldn't make it to the IPL playoffs last season. The team was knocked out after a string of losses in the first round. Thus, MS Dhoni and the team will look to bounce back stronger in the 14th edition of the league. Chennai will play their first game against the Delhi Capitals, led by Rishabh Pant, on April 10 at the Wankhede Stadium.