IPL 2022: Marquee players who will miss the tournament
The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be underway in the last week of March. Meanwhile, the mega auction for the same is scheduled to take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. Several marquee players, including Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, and Chris Gayle, will miss the tournament this time. We took a look at the notable absentees.
Stokes will miss the tournament to focus on Test cricket
Star England all-rounder Ben Stokes remains one of the highest-paid cricketers in the IPL. Now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) bought him for a whopping Rs. 14.5 crore in 2017. Stokes offered his services to Rajasthan Royals in the seasons to follow. However, the flamboyant all-rounder will miss the tournament this year in order to focus on red-ball cricket.
Chris Gayle had opted out of the 2022 edition
West Indies' Chris Gayle has broken plenty of records in the IPL. He has the highest individual score (175 vs PWI, 2013). Every season, the Universe Boss lights up the cash-rich league with his monstrous hits. He is the only batter to have smashed over 300 IPL sixes. Gayle, who is toward the end of his career, had opted out of the league.
ABD had retired from all forms
The IPL tourney will miss the bravado of 360-degree batter, AB de Villiers, this time. In November 2021, the former South African cricketer retired from all forms of cricket. ABD turned out for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 IPL. The Proteas legend scaled mountains in the IPL, playing for RCB. He remains the sixth-highest run-scorer in the tournament (5,162 from 184 matches).
Mitchell Starc skips another season
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc was supposed to return to the IPL this year. He last played in 2015 for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The left-arm seamer missed the following seasons in order to manage his workload. Starc had expressed interest in the 2022 season but did not include his name in the auction list eventually. It is understood that Starc has prioritized his national duties.
Jofra Archer will likely miss the 2022 IPL season
Although Jofra Archer has registered for the IPL 2022 mega auction, he is likely to miss the tournament this time. The England seamer is out of action due to injury at present, however, he is sure of his participation for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Sam Curran yet to recover from his stress fracture
Sam Curran served as a mainstay all-rounder for Chennai Super Kings in the last two seasons (2021 and 2020). The English all-rounder was ruled out of IPL 2021 second phase due to a lower-back injury. It turned into a stress fracture eventually which ruled Curran out of England's international assignments as well. As a result, he opted out of the IPL 2022.
