Dubai: The 2016 IPL champions Sunrisers Hyderabad have brought in medium-pacer Umran Malik as a short-term Covid-19 replacement for T Natarajan in the ongoing IPL 2021 in the UAE. Natarajan had tested positive for Covid-19 before Hyderabad’s match against the Delhi Capitals on September 22.
Under Regulation 6.1 (c), franchisees sign a short-term replacement player until the original squad member re-enters the team’s bio-secure environment. Umran Malik substitutes until Natarajan recovers and joins the team.
The 21-year-old Umran Malik made his T20 and List A debut for Jammu and Kashmir this year. He picked one wicket on his List A debut against Bengal while scalping three wickets on T20 debut against Railways. Malik is already part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team as a net bowler.
Hyderabad are currently at bottom of the points table with just two points from eight matches. They now face Punjab Kings on Saturday in Sharjah.