Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) chances of defending their trophy have hit a major blow as pacer Deepak Chahar has been ruled out of the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a back injury, a statement released by the league confirmed on Friday. Chahar was a key component of CSK’s title triumphs in both 2018 and 2021. The four-time champions are yet to announce a replacement player.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Rasikh Salam will not play any further part in the 2022 IPL after suffering a lower back injury. Salam played two games for the Shreyas Iyer-led team this season. The two-time champions have announced Harshit Rana as his replacement.
Meanwhile, the 2022 IPL has been hit with a COVID-19 scare with Delhi Capitals‘ physio Patrick Farhart testing positive for the virus. According to the IPL, he is being closely monitored by the Delhi Capitals medical team.
Talking about Chahar, he was the second most expensive signing of the 2022 IPL auction after the four-time champions acquired him for Rs. 14 crore. However, he has not been able to play a single game this season after a Quadricep tear picked up in the third T20I against West Indies ruled out him out of India’s series against Sri Lanka and the initial parts of the 2022 IPL.
While undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), matters went from bad to worse for him as he suffered a back injury. According to multiple media records, the latest setback could keep him out of action for four months and put his chances of playing the 2022 T20 World Cup in serious doubt.
Rasikh was picked up by KKR for Rs. 20 lakhs in the auction and featured in their last two matches against Mumbai Indians and DC. A positive COVID-19 case in the IPL bio-bubble will come as source of major concern to the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCC) after the events of last year where the tournament had to be suspended mid-way.
