IPL: Chris Woakes, Dawid Malan & Bairstow pull out amid COVID scare; cite personal reasons

In a shocking blow for IPL fans, three England players Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, and Dawid Malan, who were supposed to represent Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings respectively have withdrawn from the 2021 edition citing personal reasons. This comes shortly after the cancellation of the fifth test match between England and India due to the COVID scare in the Indian team. 

Following head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R. Sridhar and physio Nitin Patel, Junior physio Yogesh Parmar also tested positive for COVID on the eve of the Old Trafford Test, making team India request for the match to be cancelled/postponed. 

ECB on their official Twitter handle, wrote, “Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth LV= Insurance Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled. Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India is regrettably unable to field a team. We send our sincere apologies to fans and partners for this news, which we know will cause immense disappointment and inconvenience to many.”

England players featuring in the second leg of IPL 2021

The BCCI, on the other hand, is currently working on the players' departure from the UK to the UAE. Following Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, and Dawid Malan's departure, all-rounders Sam Curran and Moeen Ali will be the only English players to travel to the UAE leg, where they will be representing Chennai Super Kings (CSK). As per COVID guidelines, they must go to the UAE with the Indian players and serve a 6-day quarantine upon arrival.

Jos Buttler had already chosen out owing to the forthcoming birth of his second kid while Ben Stokes has taken an extended break from the game due to mental health issues and will be absent for the second half as well. Eoin Morgan, England's white-ball captain, made himself available to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) around a month ago. The other missing player is Jofra Archer, who is unavailable for the rest of the season due to an elbow injury. As replacements for Buttler and Stokes, Rajasthan Royals have signed West Indies opener Evin Lewis and fast bowler Oshane Thomas, respectively.

Image: AP