IPL 2023: South Africa vs Netherlands ODI Series – South African players are all set to miss the opening round of IPL 2023. This is because the Proteas squad faces the Netherlands in the ODI series. David Miller has confirmed that the South African players will miss the opening games and this has infuriated the IPL teams. Miller revealed that Gujarat Giants were ‘Very Upset’ for this reason. Follow Indian Premier League 2023 & IPL 2023 LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN
The South African players will miss a few opening games of IPL as the Proteas squad will take on the minnows Netherlands for two World Cup Super League (WCSL) matches. With IPL scheduled to start from the 31st Match as Gujarat faces Chennai, South Africa on the other hand faces Netherlands in Two ODI games, set to be played on 31st March and 2nd April.
Now the question remains why South Africa is so keen on playing against minnows Netherlands? Win in both the ODI matches against the Dutch side will warrant a direct qualification in the upcoming ICC World Cup, set to be held in India. Gujarat Giants bought David Miller for a price of 3 Crores back in 2022. With their prime opener missing action for the opening games, Gujarat Giants were ‘Very Upset’ with the situation.
“They were really upset. It’s always a big thing playing in Ahmedabad, especially in an opening game against Chennai. I am a bit disappointed to be missing that, but to put on the green and gold has always been a huge privilege and honour. And we have got some work to do in those two games against the Netherlands, so I think having a strong team – the best squad we can pick – is definitely the way forward. I will be missing one game so, whether I’m somewhat disappointed or not, the process has taken place,” Miller told a press conference in Potchefstroom.
Not only will Miller miss the games for GT, but other South African players will also miss the opening games for their respective IPL-based teams. The same debacle was observed last year when Rabada and others opted to play in IPL rather than take part in their Test series against Bangladesh. Cricket South Africa gave the freedom to take the decision on their own.
However, that is not the case now. CSA hasn’t released the centrally contracted players to take part in IPL. And therefore the Proteas players will only come to India to take part in IPL after completing their ODI series against the Netherlands.
“We weren’t given an option in any way (by CSA). Be that as it may, we’ve got our best squad on the park and we’ve got a lot of work to do in those two games. So it will be nice to be able to focus on that,” Miller Concluded.
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