Golf Pro Faces Tougher Challenges Amidst Fan Doubts About IPL Team's Showdown
IPL franchises Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru face significant pace bowling concerns due to injuries. KKR's Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana are sidelined, while SRH captain Pat Cummins' fitness is uncertain. RCB's Josh Hazlewood is also racing against time to recover, potentially impacting their bowling attack.
Injuries, or non-availability, to top pacers close to the start of the IPL can give sleepless nights to franchise coaches and the support staff. While Lucknow Super Giants, for a few years now, have been one of the worst-affected teams, this time around three teams are sweating over their pace resources — Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. For KKR, their top two pacers — Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana — are dealing with injuries.
They lost Mustafizur Rahman too due to reasons beyond cricket, but have drafted in Zimbabwean Blessing Muzarabani in his place. SRH, too, are in tricky territory over the fitness of their skipper Pat Cummins while it’s not sure whether RCB will get their spearhead Josh Hazlewood from the beginning of the tournament. TOI takes a look at how the situation might pan out for these teams.
Double jeopardy for KKR Harshit Rana, KKR’s star Indian pacer, is set to miss most of the IPL due to a knee surgery. While under threat to even miss the entire IPL season, the management is not naming a replacement right away hoping that the 24-year-old will be fit towards the business end. KKR have a few Indian pacers in Vaibhav Arora and Akash Deep, and they will have to step up along with Muzarabani and Cameron Green.
129649239 That brings us to their second injury worry, Matheesha Pathirana. The three-time champions paid Rs 18 crore for the former CSK slinger, who is known to be injury-prone. He missed most of the T20 World Cup with a calf injury but reports suggest that he will be fit in time for the IPL.