IPL 2020: CSK's Dwayne Bravo ruled out of the rest of the season
Bottom-placed Chennai Super Kings have been dealt a massive blow, as star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2020 with a groin injury.
In an interview with ANI, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed that the West Indian will not take any further part in the tournament and will fly back to Trinidad within a few days.
“No, Bravo isn’t playing any more part this time round and the groin injury has ruled him out. He will be flying back in a day or two,” the CEO said.
Notably, Dwayne Bravo missed the first 3 matches of the season as he had not recovered completely from a niggle he suffered during the Caribbean Premier League. He also did not bowl in the CPL 2020 final on September 10 which the Trinbago Knight Riders eventually won.
Bravo is not the first player CSK will miss in IPL 2020. Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh cited personal reasons and opted out of IPL 2020 even before it started. Viswanathan acknowledged that the duo are being missed, as CSK are finding it difficult to stay in the hunt for a playoffs berth.
“Undoubtedly Raina and Harbhajan are both vital cogs in the CSK unit and they were missed. But you have to respect personal decisions and that is how we function irrespective of whether it is a senior or junior player,” he reasoned.
Also read: Why Suresh Raina is not playing IPL 2020?
Dwayne Bravo has had a scratchy IPL 2020
After missing CSK’s first 3 matches this season, Dwayne Bravo was an integral part of the playing XI in the next 6 games before the groin injury left him on the bench against the Rajasthan Royals on Monday (October 19).
Dwayne Bravo picked up 6 wickets at a strike rate of 21, including a match haul of 3 for 37 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he got to bat only twice and managed just 7 runs overall.
CSK will go up against defending champions Mumbai Indians in Sharjah on Friday, and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is most likely to get a longer run as part of the starting eleven. There has been no official confirmation yet, but a replacement might be announced in the days to come.
Check out IPL 2020 schedule