Mitchell Starc won’t feature in this year’s IPL

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Australia left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc will be sidelined for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a “tibial bone stress fracture in his right leg”.

Starc, who was also ruled out of the fourth Test against South Africa in Johannesburg, will be further assessed upon returning home after the match.

With Starc out, uncapped seamer Chadd Sayers made his international debut on Friday.

Starc was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 9.4 crores during the IPL auction in January. The franchise will be permitted to pick a player to replace Starc.

Starc is the third Australian player that will miss this year’s IPL after Steve Smith and David Warner, who were barred from featuring in the tournament due to their involvement in the ball tampering scandal. In addition to this, they stepped down from their positions as captains of the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.

The Knight Riders begin their IPL campaign against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 8.