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IPL 2016: Glenn Maxwell injury scare for Kings XI Punjab

Glenn Maxwell received blows from Anureet Singh and Mitchell Johnson on Saturday

Glenn Maxwell received two blows to the hand while facing fast bowlers during a Kings XI Punjab training session on Saturday, forcing him to leave the ground with a physio. It is up for speculation whether he will feature in Sunday’s IPL match against Gujarat Lions.

KXIP’s struggles from last year have carried on into this season, and they will be hoping an injury to Maxwell does not darken their prospects even more.

Maxwell was first hit by a delivery by Anureet Singh on the hand. He flinched, but carried on. Soon, however, he was hit again on the arm by a Mitchell Johnson delivery. This time, the pain was too much and he threw his bat and gloves away.

Being hit twice in quick succession was too much for the star all-rounder, who was seen leaving the nets and the field with the team physio in tow. He returned to join the rest of the team for fielding practice later, but did not take his batting stance again.

Maxwell has not been in the best of forms during the current IPL, but if he is indeed fit, it is unlikely that he will be dropped. His highest score in the current edition came against Mumbai Indians in KXIP’s last match, when he scored 56.

Back-up options for KXIP

Marcus Stoinis and Farhaan Behardien are two foreign players in the KXIP roster who are in line to come into the team in case a replacement is required. There is a chance that Kyle Abbott may also be brought into the team, with the batting order strengthened with Indian batsmen such as Wriddhiman Saha or Gurkeerat Singh, or maybe even the youngster Armaan Jaffer.

With nothing having worked for the Punjab outfit so far, the management should not be apprehensive about trying new options.

Kings XI Punjab have been going through troubled times in the ongoing season. With 2 points from 6 matches, they are firmly placed at the bottom of the league standings. Their captain David Miller, whose appointment had also taken some by surprise at the beginning of the season, was sacked midway through the league stages and replaced by Murali Vijay. They have now had the most number of captains in the history of the IPL.

KXIP had finished IPL 2015 at 8th place, and it looks as of now that their fortunes are not improving anytime soon. They will be hoping an injury setback for Maxwell does not compound their troubles.

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