The 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to get underway on March 31, with the blockbuster clash between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.

With three weeks left for the cash-rich tournament, teams have suffered major blows as South African players will be arriving late in India for the IPL.

The Proteas are due to host Netherlands in a couple of ODIs on March 31 and April 2. As many as 9 players, who have been part of the 50-over squad, are set to miss the first two matches of IPL 2023.

In the absence of South African players, the most affected franchise will be Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), given that they recently named Aiden Markram as their captain. Besides Markram, Proteas players such as Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen are also part of the SRH set-up.

Other teams that will be on the receiving end are Delhi Capitals (Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi), Gujarat Giants (David Miller), Lucknow Super Giants (Quinton de Kock), Mumbai Indians (Tristan Stubbs) and Punjab Kings (Kagiso Rabada). A total of 14 South African players will feature in the upcoming IPL season.

According to a report published in ESPNCricinfo, South Africa's direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is at stake. Hence, CSA has asked the BCCI to allow their first-choice players to participate in the two ODIs against the Netherlands.

The report also claimed that the BCCI has agreed to cooperate with CSA as it understands the significance of the series for the Proteas.

South Africa are occupying the ninth position in the ICC ODI Super League points table and they will have to win both the games to have a shot at direct qualification with the likes of Sri Lanka and West Indies also in fray. Top 8 teams including the hosts will directly qualify for the World Cup while the remaining two teams will enter into the main round through the qualifiers.