IPL 2016: Injured XI
IPL 2016 was supposed to cheer up disappointed Indian fans still hurting over the World T20 semi-final loss to West Indies. While the cricket has at times been thrilling and exhilarating to watch, this tournament has been about injuries more than anything else.
Whether it was simply because of the sheer volume of cricket being played or just a happy coincidence, IPL 2016 has been struck by a spate of injuries, which has decimated several squads in the tournament.
So let us take a look at what an injured XI of players who have been ruled out of the IPL would look like. For this list, only players who have been ruled out of the entire tournament have been considered. The trio of Sunrisers Hyderabad players, including Kane Williamson Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra don't make the cut.
Unfortunately the XI is composed entirely of foreign players because no Indian player fits the criteria. So here is the IPL 2016 Injured XI:
Lendl Simmons (WK)
West Indies' hero in the World T20 semi-final against India, Lendl Simmons came into IPL 2016 on the back of a strong showing in the inaugural Pakistan Super League and was looking to continue his good form for the Mumbai Indians.
Unfortunately, all he could manage was just a solitary game, which happened to be the opening game of IPL 2016 against Rising Pune Supergiants, which MI lost. Afterwards, a lower back problem meant that he was ruled out of the rest of the tournament, leaving his side without one of their most consistent top-order batsmen.
Thankfully for MI, Rohit Sharma has stepped up in his absence and ensured that the replacement in Martin Guptill hasn't even been required to do too much.