New Delhi: South Africa’s J P Duminy has withdrawn from the upcoming edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, the all-rounder and his franchise said Monday.

The 32-year-old, who plays for the Delhi Daredevils, said he was skipping the tournament next month due to ‘personal’ reasons, with his team saying it was disappointed to lose him. 

‘It has been a very difficult decision for me to make, but it was for purely personal reasons,’ the left-handed batsman was quoted as saying in a statement released by his franchise.

‘I certainly hope to play a part for the franchise in the near future.’

The statement did not specify his reason.

Duminy has played 38 matches in the last seven seasons of the IPL.

He joined the Delhi Daredevils in 2014 and in the last IPL tournament stood in for Zaheer Khan as captain of the side in two matches.

‘We respect JP’s decision. We are naturally very disappointed to not have JP in our midst this year, but as a franchise we clearly understand his position,’ Hemant Dua, chief executive of Delhi Daredevils said.

Dua said they will look for a ‘replacement at an appropriate time’.

The tenth edition of the IPL —  one of the most popular Twenty20 leagues in the world — begins on April 5, with eight teams fighting for the title this season.