The new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will get underway on 31 March with a match between defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The two-month-long cricketing festival will see players from across the globe serving their respective franchises. While the IPL is scheduled such that it does not clash with any international series, the first few games might not feature some of the overseas players.
Gujarat Titans will be without their star player David Miller as the South African will be featuring for his national team in the ODI series against the Netherlands. As this series will decide whether South Africa will take part in the ODI World Cup 2023 or not, Miller has chosen to stay with the team and give a couple of IPL matches a miss.
This decision of Miller has not sat well with his franchise Gujarat Titans as the stakeholders are “really upset”. The Proteas batter himself revealed that when he informed the management about his unavailability, it seemed upset.
"They were really upset," Miller told a press conference in Potchefstroom on Monday. "It's always a big thing playing in Ahmedabad, especially in an opening game against Chennai. I am a bit disappointed to be missing that, but to put on the green and gold has always been a huge privilege and honour.
“And we have got some work to do in those two games against the Netherlands, so I think having a strong team - the best squad we can pick - is definitely the way forward. I will be missing one game so, whether I'm somewhat disappointed or not, the process has taken place."
The other South Africans who will miss the first few games are Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen, who all play for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals' Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, Mumbai Indians' Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis, Lucknow Super Giants' Quinton de Kock, and Punjab Kings' Kagiso Rabada.