Shams Mulani short-term replacement for Axar Patel; Anirudha Joshi replaces Shreyas Iyer

Ahead of the clash with Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium, Delhi Capitals have announced two new replacements for Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer. As per IPL official website, Shams Mulani has been named as a short-term COVID-19 replacement for Axar Patel for their VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign. Axar had tested positive for coronavirus during his mandatory quarantine ahead of the season and was subsequently taken to BCCI’s medical facility for isolation and treatment.

Shams Mula is a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler from Mumbai. He made his T20 debut for Mumbai in the 2017–18 Zonal T20 League on 11 January 2018. He made his List A debut for Mumbai in the 2017–18 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 5 February 2018. In October 2018, he was named in India A's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy. As per IPL's Regulation 6.1 (c), franchises are allowed to sign a short-term replacement player until the original squad member is permitted to re-enter the team's bio-secure environment. Hence, Mulani will only be a part of the Delhi Capitals side until Axar recovers and is allowed to join the team.

Mulani has featured in 10 First-Class, 30 List A and 25 T20s so far. This will be his maiden experience at the VIVO IPL. However, Mulani will not be permitted to represent another IPL franchise this season once he leaves the Delhi Capitals. 

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals have also signed Anirudha Joshi as a replacement for the injured Shreyas Iyer for the remainder of the VIVO IPL 2021. Iyer was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining an injury during the recent India-England One-Day International (ODI) series.

Joshi, a middle-order batsman and an off-spinner, joins his third IPL team, having been a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals in the past. He represents Karnataka in domestic cricket and has featured in 17 List A and 22 T20 matches so far. He made his List A debut for Karnataka in the 2015–16 Vijay Hazare Trophy. In January 2018, he was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2018 IPL auction. In the 2020 IPL auction, he was bought by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the 2020 Indian Premier League.

Shreyas Iyer Sends An Emotional Message To DC Squad

Before the start of the IPL, Delhi Capitals' former skipper Shreyas Iyer had sent an emotional message to the squad. In a video message to the entire squad, Iyer remarked that he'll always stay beside the team and threw weight behind the team to lift the IPL trophy this year. 23-year-old Rishabh Pant will captain the Delhi Capitals in place of Iyer for the entire season.

(Image Credits: @IPL/Twitter)