South Africa’s Duminy pulls out of IPL

Middle-order batsman in a statement reveals that he is skipping tournament due to personal reasons

NEW DELHI: South Africa middle-order batsman JP Duminy has withdrawn from the upcoming edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League tournament, the all-rounder and his franchise confirmed on Monday.

The 32-year-old, who plays for the Delhi Daredevils, said he was skipping the tournament next month due to "personal" reasons, with his team saying it was disappointed to lose him.



"It has been a very difficult decision for me to make, but it was for purely personal reasons," said Duminy in a statement released by his franchise. "I certainly hope to play a part for the franchise in the near future."

Duminy has played 38 matches in the last seven seasons of the IPL.

He joined the Delhi Daredevils in 2014 and in the last IPL tournament stood in for Zaheer Khan as captain of the side in two matches.

"We respect JP's decision. We are naturally very disappointed to not have JP in our midst this year, but as a franchise, we clearly understand his position," Hemant Dua, chief executive of Delhi Daredevils said.

Dua said they will look for a "replacement at an appropriate time".

The tenth edition of the IPL will begins on April 5, with eight teams fighting for the title this season.