List of players unavailable for the initial phase of IPL

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League is only a week away, and the franchises are gearing up for the coveted tournament amid growing fanfare. 

While the ten sides are busy fine-tuning their skills ahead of the mega event, some of the teams have been dealt with a severe blow as a few players are set to miss the initial days of the extravaganza due to national commitments. 

With South Africa's fate of qualifying for the ODI World Cup hanging by a thread, the Proteas are expected to announce a full-strength squad for the home series against the Netherlands. 

Below is the list of players who are expected to miss the first game of their respective IPL franchises.

Delhi Capitals - Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

Gujarat Titans - David Miller

Lucknow Super Giants - Quinton de Kock

Mumbai Indians - Tristan Stubbs

Punjab Kings - Kagiso Rabada

Sunrisers Hyderabad - Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen

Not just the South African players, a few Sri Lankan players are also expected to miss the initial few matches due to national commitment. 

Maheesh Theekshana (CSK), Matheesha Pathirana (CSK) and Wanindu Hasaranga (RCB), all of whom have been named in the squad for both the ODIs and T20Is against New Zealand, are expected to be unavailable till at least April 9th. 

Apart from the aforementioned overseas players, three domestic players are also set to have a delayed start to their IPL campaign due to injuries. 

Mohsin Khan, an integral member of the Lucknow Super Giants in the last edition of the competition, underwent a successful shoulder surgery and is currently under rehabilitation. 

While the exact date of his return is unknown, it is stated that the left-arm pacer will join the squad in the first week of May. 

Another prominent name set to have a lengthy period away from the mega event is Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer. The right-handed batter suffered a recurrence of his back injury and failed to take the field in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 

There ain't any official update on his injury status at the moment, but he will most likely miss the first phase of the competition. 

The defending champions, Gujarat Titans' speedster Yash Dayal, will also be away from the action for atleast a month as he continues to recover from a lower-back issue that ruled him out of the ODI series against Bangaldesh away from home.