IPL 6: Setback for Pune Warriors India; injured Marlon Samuels to return home

FILE PHOTO: Marlon Samuels (R)

Pune Warriors have suffered a huge loss with West Indian all-rounder Marlon Samuels returning to Jamaica to recover from a groin strain and also to be with his mother, who broke her knee. With these developments, Samuels is likely to miss the rest of Pune’s IPL campaign, with the franchise almost certain to miss out on playoffs this year as well, as they are at present languishing at the eight place in the points table.

Samuels, who had been announced as one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year earlier this month, played only two matches for Pune this season due to the groin injury. He remained with Warriors on the bench for a while but the groin injury hasn’t healed, which coupled with the news of his mother having her knee plate fractured, led to Samuels requesting the management to release him.

Abhijit Sarkar, Pune Warriors’ spokesperson said, “The groin injury was taking time to heal, but after he received news about his mom having her knee plate fractured, he became restless and asked if he could head back home.”

According to Sarkar, Pune will not ask for any replacement and Samuels may well return if he recovers from injury in time and Warriors make it to the playoffs.

Samuels’s resurgence has been dramatic ever since his return from a two-year ban slapped on him by ICC; he was class above the rest of West Indies’ best batsman on an otherwise dismal tour of England in 2012. He was the Man of the Match in the 2012 World Twenty20 final, which West Indies won and ended an eight year trophy drought. He came to the IPL on back of some scintillating form in the Big Bash League where he also had a confrontation with Melbourne Stars captain Shane Warne.

Samuels’s absence has dented Pune’s chances in this IPL season. They have lost their last three matches. In the last game, Chris Gayle demoralised them by smashing T20 records in Bangalore. So far, they have only won two matches in eight games. Warriors are currently just above last-placed Delhi Daredevils who are incidentally their next opponent at the IPL’s newest venue – Raipur on Sunday.