Umran Malik replaces Natarajan in the SRH squad

Umran Malik, the right-arm pacer from Jammu & Kashmir, has joined Sunrisers Hyderabad as a replacement for T Natarajan.

Natarajan was tested positive for COVID-19 and the franchise was also forced to put six members in isolation which includes Vijay Shankar. “Under Regulation 6.1 (c), franchisees are allowed to sign a short-term replacement player until the original squad member is permitted to re-enter the team’s bio-secure environment. Hence, Malik will only be a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad side until Natarajan recovers and is allowed to join the team,” the IPL media release stated.

Malik has been featured in one T20 and one List A match so far. In his only T20, he took three wickets against Railways in January earlier this year. The replacement also comes after Sherfane Rutherford, who was picked as a replacement for Jonny Bairstow, returned home following the death of his father.