Last Updated on 10 months ago by Charbel Coorey

UAE IPL 2021: Why these teams will sorely miss these 6 players | Players who will be missed heavily by their teams in the UAE leg of IPL 2021

The second phase of IPL 2021 is all set to commence, and most teams have their personnel changed from what they had during the first half of the tournament held in April/May.

So, teams like Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were forced to make a couple of changes to their team ahead of the restart of this years’ IPL in the UAE.

Some of the players missing out may have a huge bearing on their respective teams’ chances in the tournament going further. We will name a few whose absence will be felt by their team.

6 players who will be sorely missed in the UAE leg of IPL 2021:

Jos Buttler – Rajasthan Royals

England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler, who was expected to represent the Rajasthan Royals, has pulled out of the tournament citing personal reasons. He is one of their premier batters in the line-up, and had scored 254 runs in seven games before the tournament was halted. This included a century.

The Royals have roped in Glenn Phillips as Buttler’s replacement, but the latter will be missed by the Royals.

Washington Sundar – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Washington Sundar was ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2021 due to a finger injury sustained during a practice game in England in July. As the injury is expected to keep him out for some more time, Sundar will not be part of the RCB squad in UAE. Virat Kohli’s team will surely miss Sundar’s accuracy, particularly in the powerplay overs.

Jofra Archer – Rajasthan Royals

The England pacer missed out on the first half of the IPL, and will not take part in the UAE-leg as well due to recurrence of his elbow injury which will keep him out of action for rest of the year. Tabraiz Shamsi was chosen as the player to replace the pace bowler in the RR squad.

Archer was the league’s MVP in 2020, and often carried the Royals’ bowling. Rajasthan struggled with the ball at times in the first leg of IPL 2021, so eyes will be on how they handle life without him.

Ben Stokes – Rajasthan Royals

Another England-cum-Royals player features in the list of those cricketers who will be missed heavily by their teams. The England all-rounder Ben Stokes played a game for the Royals in the first part of IPL but fractured his finger which ruled him out of the tournament. Having recovered, he took indefinite time off from cricket citing mental reasons.

Evin Lewis, the hard-hitting West Indies opener has been appointed as the replacement for this multi-dimensional cricketer Ben Stokes.

Pat Cummins – Kolkata Knight Riders

The Aussie pacer was one of the first players to opt out of the UAE leg of IPL due to personal reasons. KKR are in trouble after an inconsistent first half of the IPL, and Pat Cummins’ absence leaves a huge void in their team. He was one of their star performers in what was a disappointing start for the team.

New Zealand pacer Tim Southee will join the team in his place for the rest of the tournament.

Jhye Richardson – Punjab Kings

Though not a big name like the rest of the others mentioned in the list, this young fast bowler from Australia is one for the future. He only played in 3 of the PBKS’ games in the first half of the IPL but his Big Bash League exploits made him a sought out player in IPL by few of the teams.