The fixtures for the IPL 2022 has been released, as per which, Delhi Capitals (DC) will open their campaign against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Brabourne Stadium on March 27.
During the mega-auction last month, DC roped in some prominent names like David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman and Kuldeep Yadav.
Rishabh Pant will continue to lead the franchise, which had retained him ahead of the auction along with three other players – Anrich Nortje, Akshar Patel and Prithvi Shaw.
With less than a month to go for the IPL 15, however, the Capitals are not sure of Nortje’s availability in the cash-rich league.
Notably, the South African pacer is yet to recover from a hip injury which ruled him out of the last two series against India and New Zealand.
Nortje, who hasn’t played competitive cricket since T20 World Cup last November, on Tuesday (March 8) wasn’t named in South Africa’s squad for the upcoming three-ODI series against Bangladesh, starting March 18.
It appears unlikely that Anrich Nortje will recover in time to participate in the IPL 2022, slated to get underway on March 26.
"It's probably going to be difficult [for Nortje to go to the IPL]," ESPNcricinfo quoted CSA's selection convenor Victor Mpitsang as saying.
"He has not really been bowling much since November. We don't have any timeframe on his return. It's been a long one. The medical team will give advice on whether he will be cleared for the IPL."
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, CSA's chief medical officer, Dr Shuaib Manjra, shared details on Nortje’s injury.
"He is currently being investigated," Manjra said. "He has been seen by three different orthopaedic surgeons. He is struggling with loading and doing most of the other rehab work. He hasn't bowled for over three months.
"He is not ready for the Bangladesh series. We don't know about the IPL. I guess it's frustrating. He keeps fit, he works extremely hard. All goes fine, except for when he picks up his bowling loads. He has got discomfort. We have identified three different problems between back and hip and we don't know which is primary."
Anrich Nortje’s unavailability could be a big blow for the Delhi Capitals. The Proteas fast bowler played a key role in DC’s success in the last two seasons, taking 34 wickets in 24 games while returning with exceptional economy rate.
