Every IPL season loses some players before the first ball is bowled. IPL 2024 lost more than most. With just a week left before the season opener on March 22, many big names had either been ruled out by injury or had pulled out. Some withdrew for personal reasons, some were pulled out by their national boards to protect their workload, and some simply could not recover from injuries in time. This article lists every major name, the reason, and the replacement each franchise signed.
IPL 2024 Withdrawn and Unavailable Players: Quick Table
| Player | Team | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Brook | Delhi Capitals | Personal (family bereavement) | None named at the time |
| Jason Roy | Kolkata Knight Riders | Personal reasons | Phil Salt |
| Mark Wood | Lucknow Super Giants | Workload (ECB decision) | Shamar Joseph |
| Gus Atkinson | Kolkata Knight Riders | Workload (ECB decision) | Dushmantha Chameera |
| David Willey | Lucknow Super Giants | Personal reasons | Matt Henry |
| Adam Zampa | Rajasthan Royals | Personal reasons | Tanush Kotian |
| Mohammed Shami | Gujarat Titans | Injury and surgery | Sandeep Warrier |
| Prasidh Krishna | Rajasthan Royals | Quadriceps surgery | Keshav Maharaj |
| Lungi Ngidi | Delhi Capitals | Lower back injury | Jake Fraser-McGurk |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Heel injury | Vijayakanth Viyaskanth |
| Jason Behrendorff | Mumbai Indians | Leg injury | Luke Wood |
| Devon Conway | Chennai Super Kings | Thumb injury | Richard Gleeson |
Why Do Players Withdraw from the IPL?
Three reasons explain almost every name on the list.
1. Personal and family reasons. Players spend months on the road. Some decide to step back for family, mental health, or bereavement.
2. Workload management by national boards. The 2024 IPL ran into the build-up to the T20 World Cup. England’s Mark Wood opted out to manage his workload ahead of the T20 World Cup, which started on June 2. Boards often prefer their key bowlers rest instead of playing a full IPL season.
3. Injuries and surgery. Some players were genuinely unfit. Franchises usually find out only weeks before the tournament, which makes replacements harder.
Players Who Withdrew for Personal or Workload Reasons
1. Harry Brook (Delhi Capitals)
Brook’s exit came with a heavy personal reason. He withdrew from IPL 2024 to be with his family after the death of his grandmother in February. In his statement, he said it was a very difficult decision. Delhi had bought him for ₹4 crore at the auction. He had also withdrawn from England’s Test series in India earlier that year, and the ECB asked the media to respect the family’s privacy.
The background makes the decision even more noticeable. In his first IPL season in 2023 with Sunrisers Hyderabad, he scored 190 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 123.37, including an unbeaten 100 off 55 balls against KKR. Delhi had hoped for a better second season from a batter of his power.
2. Jason Roy (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Roy pulled out for personal reasons. He explained that he wanted to spend time with his family, having been away since January. KKR had signed him for ₹2.8 crore for the 2023 edition. KKR moved quickly. They signed fellow England batter Phil Salt, who had gone unsold at the auction, at his reserve price of ₹1.5 crore. KKR went on to win the 2024 title, which makes the Roy-for-Salt swap one of the better replacement stories of the season.
3. Mark Wood (Lucknow Super Giants)
The ECB pulled Wood out of the IPL to manage his workload ahead of the T20 World Cup and England’s home summer. His injury record played a part. Wood missed the 2022 IPL season with an elbow injury and played four games in 2023. Lucknow named West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph as his replacement, at ₹3 crore.
4. Gus Atkinson (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Atkinson’s exit followed the same logic as Wood’s. The ECB took him out of the IPL to manage his workload, with a tight international schedule ahead. KKR had bought him for ₹1 crore and replaced him with Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera at ₹50 lakh.
5. David Willey (Lucknow Super Giants)
Willey was due to make his debut for LSG, but he did not play. He was acquired at his base price of ₹2 crore and was ruled out for personal reasons. The situation changed during the lead-up. LSG’s head coach, Justin Langer, first said he would miss only the start of the season, since he had spent two months in the ILT20 and the PSL, but he later pulled out of the whole season. Lucknow signed New Zealand’s Matt Henry at his base price of ₹1.25 crore.
6. Adam Zampa (Rajasthan Royals)
The Australian leg-spinner withdrew for personal reasons, and Rajasthan signed Tanush Kotian, the Mumbai spin-bowling all-rounder who had been the player of the tournament in that year’s Ranji Trophy. It was a good opening for a domestic player who had just had a strong season.
Players Ruled Out by Injury or Surgery
7. Mohammed Shami (Gujarat Titans)
Shami’s absence was the biggest blow of the pre-season. He was the 2023 season’s top wicket-taker. He had not played since the 2023 ODI World Cup and underwent surgery on his heel, and the BCCI confirmed on March 12 that he had been ruled out. Fast bowler Sandeep Warrier was named as his replacement. Gujarat had relied on him for new-ball wickets, so the loss changed their bowling plans.
8. Prasidh Krishna (Rajasthan Royals)
Prasidh was ruled out for a second successive IPL season after surgery on his quadriceps tendon in February. He had the operation on February 23, and the BCCI said he would not be able to take part in the season. Rajasthan later named South African spinner Keshav Maharaj as his replacement.
9. Lungi Ngidi (Delhi Capitals)
Ngidi’s absence meant Delhi lost two overseas players in two days. He was ruled out with a lower-back injury, one day after Brook withdrew. He had been picked at his base price of ₹50 lakh and had not recovered from the back injury he suffered during an SA20 match. Delhi named Australian all-rounder Jake Fraser-McGurk as his replacement. Fraser-McGurk later became one of the talking points of the season.
10. Wanindu Hasaranga (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
SRH had signed him for ₹1.5 crore, but heel trouble meant he could not even travel to India. Sunrisers named fellow Sri Lankan Vijayakanth Viyaskanth as his replacement.
11. Jason Behrendorff (Mumbai Indians)
The Australian left-arm pacer was ruled out with a leg injury sustained while training in Perth before leaving for India. Mumbai replaced him with England left-arm pacer Luke Wood.
12. Devon Conway (Chennai Super Kings)
Conway suffered a thumb injury during the second T20I against Australia in March. He had thumb surgery and was ruled out for around eight weeks. Chennai named Richard Gleeson as his replacement. For CSK, losing a regular opener before the opening match was a real setback.
Other Exits and Mid-Season Replacements
A few more players left the picture as the season went on:
- Dilshan Madushanka (Mumbai Indians): Mumbai named young South African pacer Kwena Maphaka as his replacement.
- Robin Minz (Gujarat Titans): The uncapped wicketkeeper-batter was ruled out after a bike accident in Ranchi, and BR Sharath was signed as his replacement.
- Vishnu Vinod (Mumbai Indians): He was ruled out of the rest of the season with a forearm injury, and Harvik Desai was signed as a replacement.
- Sushant Mishra: On May 11, Gurnoor Brar replaced the left-arm seamer.
How the Withdrawals Affected Teams
Delhi Capitals lost depth in the overseas pool. With Brook and Ngidi both out, their overseas group was left with Warner, Marsh, Stubbs, Hope, Nortje and Richardson, plus whichever replacement arrived. That put more pressure on Rishabh Pant’s leadership in his first season back.
England players dominated the exit list. Brook became the fourth English player to exit the season. Roy, Wood, Atkinson, Willey, and Brook all missed the tournament, mostly because of workload rules and personal decisions rather than injuries.
Replacements often worked out. Salt at KKR, Fraser-McGurk at Delhi, and Kotian at Rajasthan were not first-choice picks, but they gave their teams more depth than the original plan.
Bowling attacks were hit hardest. Shami, Prasidh, Wood, Atkinson, Ngidi, Behrendorff, and Hasaranga were all bowlers. Teams lost pace and spin in the same pre-season window.
Lessons for Future Auctions
- Franchises need cover. Overseas slots are limited, so one withdrawal can leave a gap.
- Workload rules matter. National boards, especially the ECB, increasingly decide which players go to the IPL.
- Personal reasons are respected. The league and its teams backed Brook’s and Roy’s decisions without making them public disputes.
- Replacements need to be pre-planned. Teams that quickly named alternatives, like KKR with Salt, avoided prolonged disruption.
FAQs
Which players withdrew from IPL 2024?
Harry Brook, Jason Roy, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, David Willey, and Adam Zampa withdrew for personal or workload reasons. Others, including Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna, Lungi Ngidi, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jason Behrendorff, and Devon Conway, were ruled out by injury.
Why did Harry Brook withdraw from IPL 2024?
He pulled out to be with his family after the death of his grandmother.
Why did Mark Wood miss IPL 2024?
The ECB pulled him out to manage his workload ahead of the T20 World Cup and England’s home season.
Who replaced Jason Roy at KKR?
Phil Salt, signed at his reserve price of ₹1.5 crore.
Was Mohammed Shami part of IPL 2024?
No. He was ruled out after surgery following an injury from the 2023 ODI World Cup, and Sandeep Warrier replaced him at Gujarat Titans.
Who replaced Lungi Ngidi at Delhi Capitals?
Jake Fraser-McGurk.
Who won IPL 2024?
Kolkata Knight Riders.
Final Take
IPL 2024 showed how much can change before a season even starts. Personal decisions, workload limits, and injuries removed a long list of notable names, yet the tournament still produced a strong season and a deserving champion in KKR. For fans, the list is a reminder of how much the IPL depends on how quickly teams can adjust. For franchises, the lesson is simple: build depth before the auction ends, because replacements are always needed.