Sehwag’s IPL ride cut short

Delhi captain ruled out due to shoulder surgery.

KARACHI:

Delhi Daredevils captain and opener Virender Sehwag will miss the rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season after deciding to undergo surgery on his injured right shoulder.

The operation is due to take place later this week and with the recovery time of around six to eight weeks, the Indian batsman is set to miss the tournament and the national team’s upcoming tour of the West Indies from June 4.

Sehwag, who has scored 424 runs in 11 matches including a whirlwind century in this year’s IPL, was advised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to undergo the surgery after the 32-year-old discussed the situation with the body.

“It will be a miracle if he plays another match,” said PB Vanchi, director of GMR Sports, owners of Delhi Daredevils.

The same shoulder injury had earlier ruled him out of the two World Twenty20s and the One-Day International series in South Africa in January. However, the opener underwent rehabilitation to be fit in time for the World Cup. His inclusion in the IPL was risky but with being the Delhi team’s captain and their leading batsman, Sehwag chose to play.

The IPL team, which has won four out of 11 matches, will now be led by James Hopes and, with three games left, have a slim chance of making it to the qualifiers.

Pune register third IPL win

Yuvraj Singh hit a 15-ball 35 and four bowlers claimed two wickets each as Pune Warriors registered just their third win after defeating Kings XI Punjab by five wickets.

An impressive bowling performance restricted Punjab to a paltry 119 for eight before the IPL newcomers overhauled the target with 17 balls to spare.

Punjab had only themselves to blame after throwing away the platform set by opener Paul Valthaty and Shaun Marsh. The momentum was carried by Dinesh Karthik but, failing to cause many problems at 80 for two, Pune bowlers sparked a collapse that saw Punjab lose six wickets for 36 runs.

A 120-run target was never going to be tough and after a 32-run opening stand made the job easy for Pune. Manish Pandey scored 28 and the captain hit five fours and two sixes to take Pune past the finish line.

While Pune may not have a chance of progressing to the next round, the win was a much-needed one after they were languishing at the bottom of the table. The defeat was Punjab’s sixth in the tournament in nine matches.



Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2011.