Can a Retired Hurt Cricketer Play Again in the IPL?

Punjab Kings batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa has become the latest cricketer to suffer an injury on the field in the ongoing 16th season of the Indian Premier League joining the likes of Kane Williamson and Reece Topley.

Rajapaksa’s stay ended up getting restricted to a mere one ball after he was hit on his right elbow at the non-striker’s end. While batters generally face such an injury against a fast bowler at the striker’s end, the Sri Lankan cricketer was quite unfortunate to have done himself harm when a spinner was bowling to another batter.

It all happened on the first delivery of the 11th over when Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan hit a full and wide delivery from Rajasthan Royals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin towards his batting partner. With Dhawan timing the ball to perfection, Rajapaksa had little time to react before the ball hit him.

Understandably in a lot of pain considering the impact with which the ball hit him, Rajapaksa received immediate medical attention in the middle. With the physio strapping the affected part, it seemed at first that the 31-year old player would resume batting but it wasn’t to be due to extreme pain on his main batting arm.

With him unable to grip the bat to the best of his abilities, the left-handed batter had no option than no retire hurt and let wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma replace him at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.

Can a Retired Hurt Cricketer Play Again in the IPL?

Yes, a retired hurt cricketer can resume his innings anytime after a wicket falls in an IPL match (or any other format, for that matter). A “retired out” cricketer, on the other hand, can’t do the same at any point in a match much like how it had happened with Ashwin in IPL 2022.

Speaking of the current match, the manner in which Dhawan and Sharma are batting right now would not want the visiting team management to risk Rajapaksa in only the second match of a long season.

With England batter Jonny Bairstow ruled out of IPL 2023 and all-rounder Liam Livingstone yet to join Punjab in India, they can’t afford another overseas batter getting injured at this point in time.