Adam Zampa withdraws from IPL as Aussie cricket star sacrifices $270,000 for family
The spinner has been on the road for the better part of eight months and is keen for a break.
Adam Zampa has withdrawn from the IPL at the last minute, with the Aussie cricket star keen for a rest at home with his family after a busy period on the road. Zampa was expected to be in action for the Rajasthan Royals when the IPL kicked off on Friday (local time), but his manager confirmed to cricket.com.au that he won't be playing after all.
The decision to withdraw means Zampa will sacrifice the $270,000 he was set to receive from RCB for his second season with the franchise. The 31-year-old is understood to be prioritising a freshen-up and some much-needed time at home with his young family.
The off-spinner has been away from wife Harriet and their three-year-old son for the better part of the last eight months, beginning with the Major League Cricket tournament in America last August. He then travelled to India for the ODI World Cup, and was away from his family for a large chunk of the Aussie home summer as well.
Because Zampa played for the Melbourne Renegades in the last BBL season, he had to leave his wife and son at home in Byron Bay for the majority of the tournament. And it will be a similar situation this year when Zampa jets out for the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean in June, before a limited-overs tour for Australia in the UK in September.
Cricket Australia has encouraged Aussie stars to play in the IPL this year as it will be ideal preparation for the T20 World Cup. But Zampa clearly believes he is better off taking a break and coming back fresh and firing.
Adam Zampa withdrawal follows Josh Hazlewood sacrifice
His decision to withdraw from the IPL echoes Mitchell Starc's previous move to snub the riches of the lucrative T20 tournament in India. Starc is playing this year after earning a whopping $4.4 million contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders, but before now he hasn't featured in the IPL since 2015.
Starc has instead chosen to spend the time at home with wife Alyssa Healy - herself a busy cricket star and captain of the Australia women's team. The decision has cost Starc a reported $10 million, but it has resulted in more time with his family and a greater prioritisation on Test cricket.
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Similarly, Josh Hazlewood is missing out on $1.4 million to be at home with pregnant wife Cherina. Hazlewood and Cherina are expecting their first child together, and she's due to give birth after the start of the IPL. Hazlewood was on $1.44 million with Royal Challangers Bangalore, but they decided not to retain his services when he informed them he wouldn't be available for the start of the tournament.
The Royals haven't yet named a replacement for Zampa ahead of their first match against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday. However they do have fellow spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal to call on.
Zampa was likely to be RCB's first-choice spinner after showing his skills in India at last year's World Cup. He took 23 wickets at an average of 22.39 as Australia won the trophy. Zampa's haul was the equal-most wickets for a spinner at a single World Cup, and second by Mohammed Shami (24) for most of the 2023 campaign. He appeared to show some fatigue when he struggled against the West Indies in the home ODI series in January, but returned to form in the subsequent T20s in New Zealand.