After Gujarat Lions were knocked out of playoff contention in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, the franchise suffered another blow as Brendon McCullum was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury.
The explosive opening batsman sustained a strain in his left hamstring while fielding in Thursday’s match against the Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. McCullum scored only one run in the match that the Lions eventually lost by seven wickets.
The former New Zealand skipper has been advised three-four weeks of intensive rehabilitation and has been asked not aggravate the damage in his hamstring.
Thanks to team mates, coaches, support staff, owners and fans of the @TheGujaratLions for the opportunity to play for you all. Respect.
— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) May 5, 2017
Injuries are not ideal but part of our sport. Compressed tournament & long travel can be gruelling. Sorry for not being there all the way.
— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) May 5, 2017
McCullum posted about his injury on Twitter, apologising for not being there till the end and saying that compressed tournaments and long travel took its toll. He also thanked his team and the franchise.
McCullum has scored 320 runs in 11 games with two half-centuries in Gujarat’s campaign so far and is his team’s second highest run-getter. The Kiwi was also among the top ten run-getters this season.
Meanwhile, pacer Nathu Singh has also been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL. Singh had suffered back spasms during the Lions’ home game in Rajkot against Kings XI Punjab and hadn’t played a match since then.