England’s David Willey has pulled out of IPL 2019 due to family reasons. The 29-year-old was set to join Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but has decided against doing so with the blessing of the franchise.
Willey’s stint with the defending champions was delayed due to the impending birth of his second child and the all-rounder admitted that he wants to be with his wife, Carolynne, in the current circumstances.
He has therefore agreed, with the understanding of CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming, that it would be too late for him to team up with the franchise at any stage.
Willey was one among the eight foreign imports in Chennai’s initial squad. The English cricketer was brought into the CSK squad last year as a replacement for Kedar Jadhav and had subsequently been retained. The Super Kings had earlier been hit with the injury to South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi, and are now left with just six overseas options to choose from. No replacements have been named yet.
CSK have already played two games into the tournament, winning both, and used only three foreign players in both the games. They are currently placed second in the points table with wins over Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals.
CSK will take on Rajasthan Royals at their home ground in Chennai on Sunday.
