IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya & Rishabh Pant are back, but Mohd Shami & Mark Wood will skip IPL matches

Gujarat Titans IPL Team: Mohammad Shami had foot surgery in February, and will miss the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League. Shami got Purple Cap (most wickets in the season) in 2023. (Image: AP)

Hardik Pandya is back in the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rishabh Pant is back in the Delhi Capitals with days to spare till the 17th Indian Premier League begins on March 22. But there are some players who may not be able to return to play in the IPL this season. Case in point: Mohammad Shami (Gujarat Titans) who recently had surgery on his right heel. Another example is Devon Conway for the Chennai Super Kings. Here's a quick list of who could miss out on the IPL this year, and why their teams will miss them:

Once trolled for being a "Dad Army", filled with deeply experienced players, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have constantly hit great balance in terms of team composition - the results are evident. CSK have won the title five times and reached finals 10 out of 14 times they have played.

This year, CSK's team is stacked with allrounders including new CSK members Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell. Their services could be even more crucial, given that a couple of CSK players could be unavailable to play for part or all of this season of Tata IPL. Here's who could be missing:

1. Matheesha Pathirana: Sri Lankan bowler Matheesha Pathirana joined the CSK in 2022. In 2023, Pathirana took 19 wickets in 12 IPL matches. His best bowling figures in IPL 2023: 3/15. Pathirana, 21, suffered a hamstring strain during the ongoing Bangladesh - Sri Lanka T20I series, and may have to sit a few IPL matches out. CSK's first fixture in IPL 2024 is on March 22.

2. Devon Conway: South African batter Devon Conway made his IPL debut in 2022. In 2023, he was the third-highest scorer in the IPL after Shubman Gill (Gujarat Titans) and Faf Du Plessis (Royal Challengers Bangalore). His 672 runs across 16 matches - with an unbeaten 92 as his highest IPL score of the year - included 77 boundaries and 18 sixes. Conway had thumb surgery recently, and may need up to two months' recovery time.

1. Mohammed Shami: Last year's Purple Cap winner, with 28 wickets across 17 matches for the Gujarat Titans, Mohammad Shami underwent foot surgery in February 2024.

A BCCI media advisory on February 29 said that Mohammad Shami's Achilles Tendon surgery in London on February 26 had been successful. "He is recovering well and will soon head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to commence his rehabilitation process," the BCCI media advisory said.

Shami may need several weeks for recovery and rehab still, and will miss the 2024 IPL season.

1. Jason Roy: Shah Rukh Khan's IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will miss the services of opening batsman Jason Roy, who pulled out of the IPL for personal reasons. In Roy's stead, KKR are playing Phil Salt whose 119 runs off 57 balls in a England-West Indies T20I match on Decmber 19, 2023, put him at No. 2 in the "Most runs scored in an innings by a wicketkeeper" list - BB McCullum tops this list for his 123 in a New Zealand vs Bangladesh fixture in September 2012.

Shreyas Iyer will return to captain an almost all-new KKR team in IPL 2024, including Australian Mitchell Starc whom KKR won in the IPL mini-auction in December 2023 for Rs 24.75 crore.

1. Mark Wood: After the England and Wales Cricket Board pulled Mark Wood out of IPL 2024 to rest him and manage his workload, Lucknow Super Giants have brought in West Indies fast-bowler Shamar Joseph for Rs 3 crore. Joseph, a fast bowler, has played in leagues like the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Dubai Capitals and Peshawar Zalmi before. He hasn't played a T20I for West Indies yet, and could spring a surprise on opponents.

1. Prasidh Krishna: The Rajasthan Royals will miss India fast bowler Prasidh Krishna, who underwent leg surgery on February 23 for a tendon injury he picked up while playing for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy 2024. Krishna is 51-matches-old in the IPL. He had missed the 2023 season of IPL as well. In 2022, he took 19 wickets over 17 matches, with best bowling figures of 3/22.