Mitchell Santner set to miss IPL 2018
What's the story?
After suffering an injury in the ODI series against England, New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner will undergo surgery on his knee which will rule him out of action for up to nine months.
This means that he would also miss the upcoming Indian Premier League season and the Natwest T20 Blast as well.
“On a personal level everyone feels for Mitchell,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said in a statement. “He’s a popular guy in the changing room and he’s well respected for the work he puts in for the side. “Mitchell is a key player in all three formats for us, so we’ll certainly miss him in the upcoming series.
“It’s important though that he gets this fixed and we have him back for what is a big next 18 months for us,” Hesson continued.
In case you didn't know...
The Kiwi all-rounder was bought by the Chennai Super Kings for his base price of Rs. 50 lakhs at the mega-auctions which were held in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28.
He was also set to be a part of Derbyshire's squad for the Natwest T20 Blast, which is England's premier T20 league.
The details:
Santner has been one of New Zealand's best performers over the past few years. He has impressed with the ball more than the bat but played a crucial role with the bat in New Zealand's win against England in the first ODI of the recently concluded five-match series.
He is ranked no. 6 in the ICC T20I rankings for bowlers and no. 9 in the ODI rankings.
While Santner was ruled out of the Test series against England, BJ Watling, who has recovered from a hip injury, has made a return to the Test squad.
What's next?
The Chennai Super Kings will now look for a replacement for the talented Kiwi player. The IPL begins on April 7 in Mumbai with the Mumbai Indians taking on the Chennai Super Kings.
Author's take:
Santner's absence will be a big blow to the Chennai Super Kings, who would have been hoping to use his expertise in the upcoming edition of the IPL.
The 26-year-old all-rounder will hope to recover on time and come back strong after nine months.