5 star players who are missing the start of IPL 2023

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 kicks off today in Ahmedabad with four-time winners Chennai Super Kings facing the defending champions Gujarat Titans.

An opening ceremony will be held prior to the game, which will feature the likes of Rashmika Mandanna and Arijit Singh. Post that, the focus will shift to the cricket on display.

All ten teams have extremely strong squads comprising some of the best players in the world. However, most teams will not be at full strength, at least initially as they are all set to miss the services of some of their stars due to different reasons.

Here, we look at 5 such players who will not be seen in action at the start of IPL 2023.

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#1 Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the initial phase of IPL 2023 as he is nursing an achilles injury that has kept him out of action for a while.

Hazlewood is an integral part of Australia's plans going into the World Test Championship Final and the Ashes, both of which will follow the IPL and hence, Cricket Australia is proactively involved in his treatment.

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#2 David Miller

David Miller was absolutely sensational in IPL 2022 as his consistent performances helped Gujarat Titans lift the trophy.

In what will be a big blow for the defending champions, Miller will not be available for GT's first game against CSK as he is on national duty at the moment. He is part of the South African contingent which will face the Netherlands in an ODI series.

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#3 Aiden Markram

Sunrisers Hyderabad will miss the services of their skipper, Aiden Markram, as he too, like Miller, is part of South Africa's squad which is up against the Dutch. In his absence, veteran bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is likely to lead SRH.

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#4 Kagiso Rabada

Punjab Kings, who are looking to end their trophy drought, will be without their 9.25 crore signing Kagiso Rabada. He is also part of the ODI series between the Proteas and Netherlands and will therefore miss the team's first game against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

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#5 Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock, who is a part of the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Supergiants, is also a part of the South African team for the ODIs against the Dutch and will thus miss the start of IPL 2023.

De Kock was a crucial member of LSG last year and his performances played a part in the side's run to the playoffs and hence, the franchise is definitely going to miss him.