Mumbai Indians (MI) have suffered another injury blow before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as their pacer Jhye Richardson is confirmed to miss the season. Earlier, there were doubts over Richardson’s participation in the tournament as he got ruled out of the ODI series against India due to a hamstring issue.
On Saturday (March 11), the Australian pacer confirmed that he has undergone surgery for it. “Injuries are a big part of cricket, thats a fact. Frustrating? Absolutely. But I’m now in a scenario where I can get back to doing what I love and work bloody hard to become an even better player than before. One step back, two steps forward. Let’s do this,” Richardson wrote in his tweet.
Richardson was bought by MI at his base price of Rs 1.50 crore. He had been away from the game since January 2023 and was in discomfort upon his comeback to club cricket last week. It ruled him out of the India series and Richardson decided to undergo surgery.
The right-arm pacer has missed ample cricket due to injuries in his career and he is set to stay out for a few months again. He has only been able to play 3 Tests, 15 ODIs and 18 T20Is since his debut in 2017.
Richardson is the second MI player to be ruled out of IPL 2023. It has been confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will also miss the season. The senior pacer underwent surgery for his back issue in New Zealand and is confirmed to sit out for the next five-six months.
Mumbai Indians haven’t announced their replacements. While they have many overseas options to choose from, they will not be able to find an Indian pacer who will be able to fill Bumrah’s shoes. The five-time IPL Champions will open their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 2 in an away game.
