King XI Punjab's Mitchell Johnson not fit yet, ruled out of CLT20

Mitchell Johnson

Kings XI Punjab will miss the services of Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson, who has been ruled out of Champions League T20, having failed to completely recover from an injury.

The left-arm seamer is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a rib injury he sustained during the triangular ODI series in Zimbabwe and is bound to travel with his nation’s LOI squad to United Arab Emirates to continue the same.

Cricket Australia understands the importance of Johnson in UAE and hasn’t risked letting the pacer play in CLT20.

“Unfortunately, Mitchell is not back to 100 per cent fitness so we will not be releasing him to Kings XI Punjab for the remainder of the Champions League. He will travel with the squad to Dubai on Sunday to continue his rehab with the team medical staff," Pat Howard, Cheif Executive General Manager of Cricket Australia informed.

The 32-year-old bowler was expected to join the IPL runner-ups in the later stages of the competition once he completely regains his physical fitness. Unfortunately, the pacer will not be available to play in the ongoing global T20 competition in India as the rehabilitation process is taking longer than expected.

Taking Johnson’s place in the side, Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera made a match winning contribution in his team’s tournament opener against Hobart Hurricanes. The player continued his good work with the ball in the second match against Barbados Tridents, thus effectively covering up the absence of Johnson in the side.