Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling mainstay Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been laid low by an injury once again, and the latest blow has ruled him out of the remainder of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Left-arm speedstar Prithvi Raj Yarra was on Tuesday named as replacement for Bhuvi.
It is speculated to be a thigh injury, though there has been no official statement from the franchise so far. The India fast bowler, who has been SunRisers' trump-card in 'death' overs and has rarely missed a game for his IPL franchise, limped off the field in the match against Chennai Super Kings on October 2 after pulling up while bowling his last over.
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar is ruled out of #Dream11IPL 2020 due to injury. Prithvi Raj Yarra will replace Bhuvi for the remainder of the season," tweeted SunRisers Hyderabad from its official handle.
Bhuvi, as he is fondly known among teammates and fans, has suffered a spate of injuries recently and that has put a question mark on the future of his career. One of the best exponents with a new ball, the right-arm pacer has added variations in 'death' bowling and that has made him valuable in limited overs cricket.
During the 2018 IPL, he had to sit out of five matches because of a back trouble and then missed a few games on the limited-overs tour of England, before being forced to return home midway through the Test series.
At the 2019 World Cup, he suffered a hamstring strain during the India-Pakistan match and had to pull out during the match. He then missed a few games. Despite that, he was India's second most successful bowler in ODIs, behind Mohammed Shami.
Later that year, Bhuvi's sports hernia went undetected following tests at a private lab recommended by the BCCI National Cricket Academy (NCA). He was quite confident of recovering and representing India at the now-shelved World T20. At this IPL, Bhuvi was playing any form of cricket for the first time in nine months and had performed well in three of the four matches.
After two wins from five, Hyderabad is currently second from bottom in the points table. They will next face KL Rahul’s Kings XI Punjab at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 8.
(With inputs from IANS)
