In what can be called a delightful piece of news for Chennai Super Kings, Deepak Chahar will be available for the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). As per the latest developments, the right-arm pacer will not undergo a surgery, as suggested initially, and is likely to be fit to play by the middle of April. As of now, he’s undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

For the unversed, Chahar sustained a quadricep tear during the T20I series against West Indies which forced him to miss the subsequent series against Sri Lanka. As per the initial reports, the bowling all-rounder was set to miss the major part of the season, if not the entire competition amid a surgery. However, as the plan for surgery has been contemplated, Chahar should be available for selection from mid-April.

In what can be called a major blow for Delhi Capitals, Anrich Nortje’s participation in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is doubtful as the speedster hasn’t bowled much since November last year amid injury issues. With Nortje being a vital cog of South Africa’s national team across formats, it remains to be seen if CSA’s medical team will give him the clearance to participate in IPL, given the T20 World Cup 2022 takes place later this year in Australia.

Meanwhile, several other South African players are in danger of missing out on the first three weeks of IPL due to their home series against Bangladesh, which includes three ODI and two Tests ending on April 12. While Quinton De Kock, who has retired from Test cricket, will be available for Lucknow Supergiants right from the start, there is no clarity on whether Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen and Lungi Ngidi will be available before the Bangladesh series ends.

With big guns like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane facing axe from the Test team, India’s batting order wore a new look during the recently-concluded firs.