IPL 2021, the fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League, begins on April 9, with most of the teams being affected — by varying degrees — by players being unavailable due to international commitments, injuries or personal reasons.
- Delhi Capitals are the IPL team most affected by player unavailability as the 2021 season kicks off on April 9. South Africa is hosting Pakistan in the coming week and all their big players are a part of the ODI series. DC pace bowling spearheads Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje will thus not be available for selection for the first three-four matches. Shreyas Iyer dislocated his shoulder in the ODI series against England and will be out from the side for the next 6-8 weeks, which rules him out for most of the season.
- Chennai Super Kings will be missing some firepower in their bowling department at the beginning of the season. Lungi Ngidi will join the side from South Africa next week and will be available for selection after the first three-four matches. There is also a question mark on when Ravindra Jadeja will return to action. He has been out of action since sustaining a thumb injury in the Test series vs Australia in January.
- Rajasthan Royals Jofra Archer has undergone successful surgery, expected to miss the first four matches, who was the Player of the Season last year.
- Adam Zampa will not be part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad at the beginning of the season as he is getting married.
- Mitchell Marsh will not be part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad as he has expressed his inability to to spend long times inside the bio-secure bubble.
- Mumbai Indians Wicketkeeper and opening batsman Quinton de Kock will be part of the South African crowd arriving to play in the IPL after the first four matches.
IPL 2021 opening match is set to be played between defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on 9 April 2021 in M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Final to be played on 30 May 2021 in Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
