Hales opts out of IPL 2023 as Capitals retain 19 players
new Delhi: England’s T20 World Cup winner Alex Hales has opted out of the Indian Premier League 2023, his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announced on Tuesday.
Hales joins compatriot Sam Billings and Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins to miss the next season of IPL.
“We respect @patcummins30, @sambillings and @Alexhales1‘sdecisionofskippingnextyear’sipldue topersonalreasonsandnationalteamcommitments. All the best, guys! #Knightridersfamily #AMIKKR,” KKR said in a tweet.
The 29-year-old pace bowler, who had a below-par showing in the ICC T20 World Cup at home with the defending champions not able to progress to the semifinals, was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the mega auction earlier this year for Rs 7.25 crore and played five games, taking seven wickets.
Earlier in the day, the 29-year-old Cummins made the call to skip next year’s IPL tournament, pointing to a heavy international workload.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to miss next year’s IPL. The international schedule is packed with Tests and ODIS for the next 12 months, so will take some rest ahead of an Ashes series and (ODI) World Cup,” Australia’s Cummins said on Twiter.
Meanwhile, Sam Billings decided to withdraw, saying that he wants to focus on the longer formats of the game.
“Have taken the tough decision that I won’t be taking part in the next IPL @Kkriders. Looking to focus on longer format cricket at the start of the English summer with @kentcricket,” Billings said in his tweet.
“Thank you so much for the opportunity@ kkriders ! Loved every minute of it. An amazing franchise with some brilliant people. Hopefully see you again in the future,” he added.
The team led by Shreyas Iyer have acquired Shardul Thakur, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Lockie Ferguson via trades.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals on Tuesday shared a list of retained and released players ahead of the Indian Premier League 2023 mini-auction which is set to be held later this year. The Delhi-based franchise has retained a total of 19 players which includes six overseas players.
The players who have been retained by the franchise from their last season’s fith place finish include Indian internationals Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, along with Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Yash Dhull, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Pravin Dubey, Vicky Ostwal and Lalit Yadav.
Delhi Capitals have also retained six overseas players which include Australian bater David Warner, West Indies bater Rovman Powell, South African fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, Bangladesh speedster Mustafizur Rahman and Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh.
Meanwhile, the franchise has released four players which include Indian players Mandeep Singh, KS Bharat & Ashwin Hebbar and New Zealand wicketkeeper-bater Tim Seifert.
The Delhi Capitals have also traded allrounder Shardul Thakur to Kolkata Knight Riders and brought all-rounder Aman Khan in place of him.