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Delhi Capitals bring in Ben Dwarshuis as replacement for Chris Woakes

Ben Dwarshuis struck twice in his Power Surge over Getty Images

Australia bowler Ben Dwarshuis has replaced Chris Woakes in the Delhi Capitals squad for the rest of the 2021 IPL season.

Woakes had pulled out of the remainder of the IPL because of personal reasons, joining Sunrisers Hyderabad's Jonny Bairstow, Punjab Kings' Dawid Malan and Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler in withdrawing from the tournament. Woakes had taken five wickets for Capitals in three games in the first half of the season.

Dwarshuis has a haul of 100 T20 wickets - with a best of 4 for 13 - and a strike rate of 17.30. Dwarshuis, who plays for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, is the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 85 wickets in 69 matches.

According to a statement from the Capitals, Dwarshuis will be "joining the Delhi Capitals team bio-bubble in the UAE soon". This will be Dwarshuis' second stint in the IPL after he was a part of the Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in 2018, though he didn't get a chance to play.

Separately, the Capitals players who were part of the Indian Test squad in England, reached Dubai on Sunday. Rishabh Pant, who had taken over as captain after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer picked up an injury during the first chunk of matches in April this year, R Ashwin, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav all tested negative for Covid-19 upon arrival.

The Capitals are currently on top of the IPL points table with 12 points from eight matches. They resume their campaign against the Sunrisers on September 22.