Shreyas Iyer to miss Delhi Daredevils' initial campaign

Delhi Daredevils received another major blow ahead of the upcoming 10th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as batsman Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the initial few weeks of the tournament due to bout of chickenpox.

The 22-year-old, who is recovering at home in Mumbai, is all set to miss his franchise's season-opening clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 8, and is also doubtful for their second match against Rising Pune Supergiants on April 11.

Iyer, who recently earned a call-up to Indian Test squad as a cover for injured skipper Virat Kohli, has played two IPL seasons for Daredevils, ESPNcricinfo reported.

He was Daredevils' highest run-getter in 2015, notching up a total of 439 runs at an average of 33.76. He, however, endured a difficult 2016 season, scoring only 30 runs from six innings he played, including three ducks.

Earlier, wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock was also ruled out of the entire season with a finger injury, while middle-order batsman JP Duminy had pulled out due to personal reasons.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Angelo Mathews is also expected to miss a large chunk of the season as he is still recovering from hamstring and calf injuries.