Vivo IPL 2021: Reece Topley and Billy Stanlake deny CSK?s offer to play Vivo IPL 2021

Vivo IPL 2021: The three-time champions, Chennai Super Kings have found themselves in a bit of trouble, 5 days prior to the Indian Premier League opener. With Aussie pacer Josh Hazlewood pulling back from the IPL 2021, CSK has found it tricky to rope in any replacement for the pacer.

As per the reports of Times of India, Chennai management has reached out to English left-arm speedster Reece Topley and Aussie paceman Billy Stanlake for the replacement of Hazlewood. However, both the pacers have shown their reluctance to be a part of the elite competition due to a surge in the covid cases in India.

Troubles for CSK:

?Many of them have contracts with English county teams and the permissions aren?t forthcoming due to the rising number of Covid cases. We may have to go for a wildcard and may get one soon enough. But the problems do persist,? a source close to the development was quoted as saying to The Times of India (TOI).

Three of the Indian cricketers have been tested covid-positive till now. The list includes Nitish Rana, Axar Patel and Devdutt Padikkal. Moreover, one member from the CSK content team and 10 groundstaff along with six event managers of Wankhede Stadium have also fallen prey to the virus.

Hazlewood wants to be fit for Ashes:

Aussie pacer said that he wants to be mentally and physically fit for the Ashes Series 2021 later this year and he has been tanned with bubble fatigue over the last couple of months. Australian national side has packed season ahead in 2021 and Hazlewood wants his body to play all these.

?We?ve got a big winter ahead too. The West Indies is going to be a long tour, with Bangladesh (T20 tour) potentially thrown at the end of that. Then potentially the T20 World Cup leading into the Ashes, so it?s a big 12 months, as it always is with Australia, and I want to give myself the best chance to be mentally and physically ready for that,? he had said.