Virat Kohli’s availability for the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League can only be determined after a fitness assessment in the second week of April, according to a release from the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Saturday.
“The Indian captain will undergo rehabilitation after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder. His recovery will be assessed in the second week of April to determine an exact return to play date for IPL 2017,” the BCCI said.
There were updates about other other Indian players as well. Ravichandran Ashwin will ruled out for the entire season due to a recurrence of sports hernia and has been advised 6-8 weeks of rehabilitation. Openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay may also miss the season due to a surgeries on their left shoulder and right wrist, respectively.
Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav were given two weeks to recuperate as Jadeja had issues with his spinning finger, while Yadav had right hip and lower back soreness. However, the release said they were expected to recover during the initial phase of the season.
There was good news for the Mumbai Indians, though: Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, who had both been injured previously, were declared fit to play competitive cricket and could, hence, play the IPL.
