Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will miss the services of Mitchell Santner in the upcoming IPL season as the New Zealand all-rounder has been ruled out of action for about nine months due to a bone defect in his knee, which requires surgery.

On Wednesday, Santner was omitted from his country’s Test team after scans showed he needed a surgery. New Zealand Cricket said Santner felt some discomfort while playing and scans showed a “bone defect” had deteriorated.

The in-form Santner had been picked up by CSK during the IPL auctions for Rs 50 lakh and was expected to play a key role for the team. “It is too early to decide now. We will take a call on the replacement for Santner in due course after consulting with the head coach (Stephen Fleming) and captain (MS Dhoni),” a CSK official told PTI.

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