IPL 2016: Rising Pune Supergiants batsman Steve Smith ruled out of tournament
Rising Pune Supergiants are dealt with yet another injury blow as their star batsman and Australian captain Steve Smith has been forced to cut short his IPL campaign due to a wrist injury.
With this, Pune won’t be having all the four overseas players who were a part of the team’s playing XI in the first match of the season against Mumbai Indians.Kevin Pietersen was the first to be sidelined for IPL as he injured his calf while batting against Royal Challengers Bangalore and was followed by South African T20 skipper Faf du Plessis, who was ruled out due to a finger injury and Mitchell Marsh who withdrew yesterday due to a side strain.
Smith registered his maiden T20 hundred against Gujarat Lions last week has scored 270 runs from 8 matches at an average of 45 and was an important member of his side. With their chances of making it to the playoffs hanging in the balance, Steve Smith’s injury would make things difficult for the franchise.
Australian opener Usman Khawaja was named as the replacement for Faf du Plessis while the replacements for the other injured players are yet to be announced.
Cricket Australia confirmed the injury would be more closely assessed once he returns to Sydney as Australia are scheduled to play in a triangular ODI series against West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean, beginning early June.
Cricket Australia Sports Science and Sports Medicine Manager Alex Kountouris said, "Steve has been struggling with pain in his right wrist for the last week during his stint in the IPL."
He also added, "We have been working with his IPL franchise Pune to monitor this and unfortunately it has not resolved. As such, he will return home from India for further assessment and treatment ahead of the Qantas Tour of the West Indies.
"From the information we have so far, this doesn’t appear to be a serious injury but we are keen to give him the time to recover and rehabilitate before heading to the West Indies at the end of May," he concluded