South African middle-order batsman JP Duminy has withdrawn himself from the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League citing personal reasons. Duminy plays for the Delhi Daredevils.
The South African all-rounder while announcing his decision said that it was a “very difficult decision”. The news will come as a huge blow to the Delhi Daredevils.
JP Duminy is a vital member of the Delhi Daredevils squad and provides valuable experience in their young batting line-up. He holds the middle order together for them and is a solid figure amongst the other explosive batsmen like Quinton de Kock, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and all-rounder, Carlos Brathwaite.
With his absence, there will be added pressure on Indian middle order batsman Karun Nair to provide solidity to the batting line-up. In his absence, either Sam Billings or Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews are likely to come into the starting lineup in the place of the experienced South African batsman.
Along with his batting skills, Duminy is also a very handy off-spinner who acts as a partnership breaker and can provide some overs of spin on slow and low pitches of India.
It is also a huge blow for the IPL as the tournament loses another player of proven international pedigree after the withdrawal of Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.
It will now be interesting to see if Delhi Daredevils opt to pick a replacement for the South African all-rounder.
