Gujarat Titans batter Kane Williamson has registered a terrible start to the 16th season of the Indian Premier League. Williamson, whose long-standing elbow injury has troubled him on more occasions than one, suffered a knee injury after having just recovered from the previous one.
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Playing for a franchise other than Sunrisers Hyderabad for the first time in the history of the IPL, Williamson‘s Gujarat debut didn’t go according to plan after he fell down awkwardly on his knee without even getting to bat in the first match of the season at the Narendra Modi Stadium tonight.
It all happened on the third delivery of the 13th over when Chennai Super Kings batter Ruturaj Gaikwad pulled a short ball by Titans pacer Josh Little to Williamson at deep square leg.
Not the easiest of catching opportunities, Williamson had to jump in the air to catch the ball. While he did all of that with supreme timing, the landing part became a concern after he jarred his right knee on to the ground beyond the boundary. Not even able to save six runs for his team, the 32-year old player was seen in extreme pain calling for medical attention immediately.
Kane Williamson Injury Update
Glimpses from the initial diagnosis of Williamson’s injury didn’t portray a pleasing story. Williamson, who needed assistance from support staff members to return to the dressing room, was catered by physiotherapists of both the teams on Friday.
“You don’t like to see injuries like that. Hopefully, he’s okay but it didn’t look like that,” GT batting coach and mentor Gary Kirsten told the host broadcaster during a mid-match interview.
If truth be told, Williamson appears highly unlikely to bat in the second innings. Having said that, an official update is awaited from the franchise.
With the Impact Player Rule in place from this season onward, Gujarat might look to replace Williamson with one of their five substitutes if he gets ruled out of this match. Readers must note that one out of Sai Sudharsan, Abhinav Manohar or KS Bharat could come in for Williamson.
UPDATE: Titans have included Sudharsan as Williamson’s substitute.
