Australia’s T20I captain Mitchell Marsh has been cleared to play within the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season for his latest team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), as a batter-only. Despite missing the Champions Trophy because of a back injury, he is ready to travel early next week. Marsh was ruled out of the ODI tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy on January 31 because of “lower back pain and dysfunction”, ending his domestic season. The difficulty, linked to a disc problem he had managed since Australia’s limited-overs tour of the UK in September 2024, saw him undergo rest and specialist treatment in early February.
Having returned to batting in recent weeks, Marsh has now been cleared for the IPL, where he is predicted to be an impact player at the highest of the order for LSG. He was signed for Rs 3.40 crore at IPL auction last November and can join the squad on March 18, reuniting with former Australia coach Justin Langer, who’s in his second season as LSG’s head coach.
Marsh has not played since January 7, when he featured in a BBL match for the Perth Scorchers before sitting out the remainder of the season. His last white-ball games got here during Australia’s T20I and ODI tour of the UK in September.
Over the past three IPL seasons, he played for Delhi Capitals but struggled with injuries, including a hamstring issue last yr that sidelined him after just 4 matches. He has previously represented Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rising Pune Supergiants, Pune Warriors, and Deccan Chargers.
Meanwhile, Marsh’s Australia teammates Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood – who also missed the Champions Trophy because of injuries – are expected to be fit for the IPL.
Cummins, who experienced an ankle flare-up after the Border-Gavaskar series, is ready to guide Sunrisers Hyderabad again. Starc, who suffered an ankle niggle throughout the Sri Lanka Test series, will join Delhi Capitals this season after being bought for Rs 11.75 crore on the auction. Hazlewood, who attracted the very best price of any Australian at Rs 13.50 crore, will play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru after missing last season because of side and calf injuries.
All of Australia’s other IPL-bound players have prioritised the tournament over the Sheffield Shield, despite five states still vying for a spot in the ultimate. Unlike last yr, when Matthew Wade selected to play for Tasmania within the Shield final and missed the beginning of Gujarat Titans’ IPL campaign, South Australian players Travis Head (Sunrisers), Jake Fraser-McGurk (Capitals), and Spencer Johnson (KKR) will head to India despite SA already qualifying for the Shield final, which begins on March 26.
Moreover, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie will join Punjab Kings under head coach Ricky Ponting, skipping the ultimate Shield round and the potential final for his or her respective states.
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