Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant won't play in the 2020 Indian Premier League for a week due to a hamstring injury.
Pant's absence will likely see Australian counterpart Alex Carey named in the XI again. Carey debuted for Delhi in Sunday's defeat to the Mumbai Indians.
This is Carey's first IPL. He has been capped 69 times – 39 ODIs and 30 T20Is – in international cricket.
“I spoke to the doctor and he said Pant is going to be resting for a week. Hope he comes back strongly after this break,” said Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer, who also lamented the defeat to Mumbai.
“We were 10 to 15 runs short – 175 would have looked completely different. That is something we need to work on. We need to work on our fielding as well. Overall they outplayed us. We need to work on our mindset next game.
“The ball didn't stop as it did in the first innings. I feel it is important for us to not take anything lightly. There are certain elements we need to work on.”
More on Delhi
Delhi lost leg-spinner Amit Mishra to injury for the remainder of the tournament earlier this month. They had England stars Jason Roy and Chris Woakes in the squad before the start of the competition, but both withdrew.
The Capitals have never won the IPL. They finished in third position in the 2019 IPL and remain in pursuit of a maiden title. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is their head coach.
Delhi have other international stars in their squad, too, including Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, West Indies batsman Shimron Hetymer and South African fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
The Mumbai Indians are the reigning champions. They beat the Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 final. Mumbai have four titles. Chennai have three. The Kolkata Knight Riders have two. The Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals have won the IPL once each.
This year's IPL is being played in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi are the host cities. The UAE co-hosted the tournament in 2014, too.
The tournament is underway without spectators. This is being done as a preventative measure against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
