Punjab Kings (PBKS) have suffered a major setback ahead of their match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 15.
PBKS pacer Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a hip injury. The Kiwi pacer had a series of injury concerns heading into the tournament.
He missed the Champions Trophy for New Zealand owing to a hamstring injury he sustained during the ILT20 tournament. He also suffered from a calf injury before picking up the hamstring injury, which forced him to miss the ICC event.
Lockie Ferguson Out Indefinitely: James Hopes, PBKS Bowling Coach
Ferguson's injury was confirmed by PBKS bowling coach James Hopes who also confirmed that he would miss the remainder of the season.
"Ferguson is out indefinitely, and us getting him back by the end of the tournament is a very low percentage. I think he's done a real decent injury to himself," said Punjab Kings' fast bowling coach James Hopes a day ahead of their clash against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mullanpur.
Lockie Ferguson picked up his hip injury in the match against SRH. He had to leave the field after bowling just two deliveries as he hobbled off the ground. The Kiwi pacer picked up five wickets in four games and played a key role in their pace attack, bowling in the middle overs.
The franchise has enough options to replace Ferguson. Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai can be one of them. He has played just one match in the season so far. Another good option as a replacement is the Australian pacer Xavier Bartlett. PBKS picked him in the auction for 80 lakhs. However, the most likely option is expected to be Vijaykumar Vyshak, who made an impact in the first game of the season and has not played ever since.
Heading into their next game against KKR, Punjab Kings are placed sixth on the IPL 2025 points table with three wins and two losses from five games.
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