Twitterati hilariously feel Josh Hazlewood backed out of IPL 2021 because of Cheteshwar Pujara

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood won’t be a part of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he has pulled out of the tournament. The speedster said that the ‘bubbles and quarantine’ have taken a toll on his body and he would be needing some rest and time with his family before playing for the Aussies in upcoming international assignments.

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) picked him up in the auction for the 2020 edition at his base price of INR 2 crores. But he played only three games where he picked up a solitary wicket. Bearing in mind the task he will have later this year, the speedster decided to give this edition’s IPL a miss.

Hazlewood needing a break

“It’s been a long 10 months in bubbles and quarantine at different times, so I decided to have a rest from cricket and spend some time at home and in Australia in the next two months,” Hazlewood was quoted as saying on cricket.co.au.

“We’ve got a big winter ahead too. The West Indies is going to be a long tour, with Bangladesh (T20 tour) potentially thrown at the end of that. Then potentially the T20 World Cup leading into the Ashes, so it’s a big 12 months, as it always is with Australia, and I want to give myself the best chance to be mentally and physically ready for that. That’s the decision I’ve made, and it sits pretty well with me,” he added.

Netizens have a funny take on Josh Hazlewood pulling out

In the meantime, the netizens on Twitter have pulled off a hilarious reason as to why Hazlewood withdrew his name from the T20 league. As per the users on the social media platform, Cheteshwar Pujara might have been the reason behind Hazlewood opting out. The duo recently met when India played four Tests against Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year.

During the tour, Pujara batted for long hours and scored 271 runs with three half-centuries to show for his efforts. The social media users, in a hilarious way, believe that Hazlewood relieved himself from bowling to Pujara at the CSK nets after toiling hard in the Test series.

Here’s how Twitterati reacted: