IPL 2020 | Couldn't risk missing birth of my first child: Kane Richardson on withdrawing from tournament
Kane Richardson had withdrawn from the upcoming edition of the IPL earlier this week, with Adam Zampa replacing him at RCB.
Australia's Kane Richardson had withdrawn from the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League earlier this month. The pacer, who was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore, pulled out of the tournament to attend the birth of his first child. He was replaced by fellow Australian, Adam Zampa.
In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Richardson has said that while it is "always difficult" to take a decision such as this, his family will always remain a priority.
"It's always difficult to withdraw from a competition like the IPL, it's the pinnacle domestic competition in the world but when I really sat down and thought about it's definitely the right one with all that's going on in the world at the moment," said Richardson.
"Just the challenge around getting home on time for something as unpredictable as the birth of a child, I couldn't risk missing that. It's disappointing to miss the IPL but hopefully there are opportunities ahead for that and don't think I'd ever be able to live with missing the birth of my first kid.
"We've had five months off but hopefully cricket will always be there. The main thing for me is to support my wife, as cricketers we are away for a lot of things but there comes a time when you prioritise your family over anything else and at the moment in the world a lot of people are doing that."
The overseas cricketers of all the franchises continue to arrive at the United Arab Emirates, with South African trio of Kagiso Rabada (Delhi Capitals), Faf Du Plessis and Lungi Ngidi (Chennai Super Kings) reaching Dubai earlier this week.
Most of the Australian and English cricketers participating in the IPL will reach UAE after completing the bilateral limited-overs series, and it remains to be seen whether they would miss the first week of the tournament.
On Wednesday, Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) had also pulled out of the IPL citing personal reasons, with Australia's James Pattinson replacing him in the squad.