Kevin Pietersen out of IPL with knee injury
Kevin Pietersen out of IPL with knee injury
The Delhi Daredevils have suffered a massive blow to their fortunes in the sixth Indian Premier League
that begins on April 3. Kevin Pietersen, one of their batting
mainstays, has been ruled out for eight weeks due to a knee injury he
sustained on England's current tour of New Zealand.
Pietersen suffered the injury during England's practice game in
Queenstown, New Zealand, earlier this month, and played two Tests
through the pain, but the England and Wales Cricket Board pulled him out
of the third Test and the IPL in order to ensure his fitness for the back-to-back Ashes series later this year.
"England
and Surrey batsman Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the remaining
Test against New Zealand commencing Friday, due to an injury to his
right knee. Pietersen experienced knee pain while fielding in
preparation for the four-day game in Queenstown earlier this month,
ahead of the Test series. This has failed to resolve satisfactorily,"
the Board said in a statement.
"Recent scans confirm an injury to
the right knee with bone bruising and possible cartilage damage to the
kneecap. The 32-yearold will return to the UK for further investigations
and specialist review. The injury is likely to require ongoing
assessments and a likely six-eight week period of rest and
rehabilitation. Pietersen has therefore been withdrawn from all cricket,
including the Indian Premier League."
Pietersen was a revelation
in the limited time he was with the Daredevils last season, with the
highlight being a sterling century against Deccan Chargers. But his
association with the IPL, in conjunction with his then desire to play
less international cricket for England, had led the England management
to dump him before reconciliation took place ahead of the tour of India.
Pietersen was slated to play in the first half of IPL-VI, before
heading back to England to prepare for the return series against New
Zealand in May.
"It is unfortunate to lose a player of KP's class
and it is indeed a big blow. But we believe we have the combination of
players to be competitive," said Daredevils' team mentor TA Sekar. "We
have the explosive Jesse Ryder, the exciting Andre Russell, the crafty
Johan Botha and the bighitting Jeevan Mendis to draw from," he said.
Ryder
is out of favour with the New Zealand setup for a slew of disciplinary
breaches in the past, and as such, will be available for the whole
season. His presence was also the reason the Daredevils traded Ross
Taylor to the Pune Warriors, since there would've been no place for him
in the line-up.
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