KL Rahul, the opening batter for the Indian cricket team, will likely miss the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after getting hurt during the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The team or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet released specific information on the injury.
Rahul, though, would reportedly have scans in Mumbai and subsequently receive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy. He was prepared to play as a wicket-keeper in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, but his participation in that game is also in doubt.
Rahul’s readiness for the WTC championship match against Australia on June 7 is questionable because, according to insiders, he would require at least a month to recover entirely. A 15-person team has already been named by the Indian selectors for the WTC championship match. Nevertheless, adjustments must be made, and another meeting is anticipated in the coming days due to the injuries suffered by other players, including Kolkata Knight Riders’ Shardul Thakur and Lucknow’s Jaydev Unadkat, as well as Umesh Yadav.
Unadkat hurt his left shoulder during a net practice, and it will take him 6-7 weeks to recuperate. He won’t play in the championship. Although Yadav and Thakur are also recovering from injuries, it is not thought that their participation in the final will be seriously jeopardized.
The management of the Indian team is really concerned about Rahul’s injury because he was expected to bat in the middle of the order. Despite being left off the starting lineup for the final two Tests against Australia due to Shreyas Iyer’s injuries, Rahul now has a spot in the middle order. For the WTC final, the selectors have summoned back the seasoned Ajinkya Rahane.
India will now need to look for middle-order reinforcements, though. The lack of a backup wicketkeeper in the team may force the selectors to think about Ishan Kishan in the event that Rahul is unable to recuperate. The Southpaw played for India in the series with Australia.
Since the initial group of players is scheduled to depart for London on May 23, the Indian selectors will announce the replacements before May 21. The injured players would then need to pass the fitness test by May 20 in order to be ready for selection. If Unadkat doesn’t recover, the selectors might take Avesh Khan or Umran Malik into consideration.
The BCCI and the club management were worried about the workload of their top players even before the IPL season began. The team management and selectors are already concerned about the fatigue of the surviving players with just a few weeks of the IPL left since any additional injury could jeopardize their plans for the WTC final.
The BCCI is debating whether to send Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfraz Khan as reserves in addition to the 15-member squad. For the WTC final, India will already be without Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah. Before the important final, the Indian squad will have the difficult chore of finding suitable substitutes for injured players.