Delhi Capitals have signed South African pacer Anrich Nortje as a replacement for England all-rounder Chris Woakes for IPL 2020 confirmed the franchise on Tuesday, August 18.
The confirmation, however, did not divulge the reason for Woakes’ withdrawal from the IPL, which begins in UAE on September 19. Woakes had earlier withdrawn from the IPL, before its originally scheduled start in March, in an attempt to prolong his England career.
Although 26-year-old Nortje was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad in the 2019 season, this will be his debut season at IPL. A shoulder injury right before the start of the tournament had prevented him from making his IPL debut last year.
Since his debut against India in 2019 Nortje has played 6 Tests, 7 ODIs and 3 T20Is and has been named as Cricket South Africa’s Newcomer of the Year for 2020. At Delhi Capitals, the tall right-arm fast bowler will be part of a bowling unit which has his compatriot Kagiso Raba, Indian Ishant Sharma and Mohit Sharma, among others.
After signing up for Delhi Capitals, Anrich Nortje said, “I am excited to join the Delhi Capitals, a team that was the talk of the tournament last season.”
“With its exciting mix of experienced and young players, and a stellar coaching line up, there is no doubt this is going to be a massive learning experience for me. I am grateful to the Delhi Capitals management for giving me this opportunity.”
Anrich Nortje and nine other South African players along with other support staff are expected to fly to UAE in a chartered flight.