T Natarajan ruled out of IPL 2021 with knee injury

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bowler T Natarajan will miss the remainder of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 due to a knee injury. The 30-year-old left-arm fast bowler has played two matches in the ongoing season so far, and SRH will have to look for a replacement.

Sources from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed that Natarajan could be asked to go back to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, Cricbuzz reported. It is still not clear as to what exact incident caused the fast bowler the injury.

He had spent two months at NCA after the India-Australia series, which was concluded in January. He also did not take part in the last two of the first four IPL games played by SRH. His last match was played on April 11 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

The physios in NCA have been watching Natarajan’s fitness and have reported BBCI about the aggravation of the knee injury. It is now likely that SRH could be asked to release him from the team.  “We have not got the full report but we have been told that he has developed a strain in the knee. He will have to undergo rehab in the NCA,” said the source, reports Cricbuzz.

When SRH came up against Punjab Kings, which Natarajan missed, captain David Warner on Wednesday said, “He has obviously got a sore knee. Given the circumstance in these bubbles, if he goes and gets a scan, he obviously has to sit out for seven days.”

“He has to get back in quarantine. We are just monitoring him at the moment. The physios are doing their best to analyse from a face point of view but he obviously has to go out and get a scan at some point.”