Chennai Super Kings (CSK) paceman Josh Hazlewood has pulled out from the upcoming 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in order to stay fit for the Australian cricket calendar. The 30-year-old has cited bubble fatigue as the primary reason to withdraw from the cash-rich league, becoming the third Australian, after Josh Philippe and Mitchell Marsh, to do so. 

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Hazlewood was set to depart for the upcoming tournament on Thursday and join his CSK teammates, but having been in and out of various bio-bubbles from August last year to January, he decided to instead spend time with his friends and family. 

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“It’s been a long 10 months in bubbles and quarantine at different times, so I decided to have a rest from cricket and spend some time at home and in Australia in the next two months,” Hazlewood told cricket.com.au on Wednesday. 

“We’ve got a big winter ahead too. The West Indies is going to be a long tour, with Bangladesh (T20 tour) potentially thrown on the end of that.”

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“Then potentially the T20 World Cup leading into the Ashes, so it’s a big 12 months, as it always is with Australia, and I want to give myself the best chance to be mentally and physically ready for that. That’s the decision I’ve made, and it sits pretty well with me,” he said. 

Hazlewood played only three matches for CSK over the course of IPL 2020, with the franchise playing all rounders Sam Curran and Darren Bravo along with their Indian line up.