Matthew Wade to miss start of IPL due to Sheffield Shield final clash

Australian wicket-keeper batter Matthew Wade may not participate in Gujarat Titans' first game against Mumbai Indians on March 24 at their home ground of Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Wade has decided to skip it in order to help his domestic side, Tasmania win the Australian domestic first-class competition for the first time since 2012-13. 

The final will be played in Hobart from March 21 to March 25 - the last day of which is clashing with Titans’ clash against Mumbai. 

"He's spoken with his IPL franchise and they're happy to allow him to stay here, which probably equates to him potentially missing their first game. We feel very fortunate to have someone of Matt's ilk coming back into our group, and his experience and performances at the back end of our season," Tasmania head coach Jeff Vaughan told reporters in Hobart, reported ESPN Cricinfo.

Wade played for Victoria for ten years before he decided to return to Tasmania for the 2017-18 season. Wade, who has been a regular part of the Australian white-ball set-up, particularly T20s, returned to the domestic side this season after Australia’s T20 series against New Zealand. 

Wade was a part of the Gujarat Titans line-up in IPL 2022 where he played ten matches, scoring 157 runs at a strike rate of 113, but didn't play a single match in IPL 2023 as the team preferred Wriddhiman Saha over him for the role.