Delhi Capitals has potentially suffered a massive injury blow on Tuesday. Skipper Shreyas Iyer hurt his left shoulder while fielding for India in the first ODI against England in Pune. The incident occurred during the eighth over of the English run-chase. He was immediately taken for scans and did not take part in the remainder of the game. He will miss the rest of the matches against England.
The complete prognosis of his injury is yet to be known, but BCCI sources have told various outlets that injury does look serious. Iyer hurt his shoulder when he made a dive to a shot from Jonny Bairstow off the bowling of Shardul Thakur.
As per immediate medical update from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the cricketer partially dislocated his left shoulder and was taken for scans straightaway. Iyer looked in immense pain as he walked off the field, thus raising concerns over his availability in the upcoming IPL 2021.
UPDATE – Shreyas Iyer subluxated his left shoulder in the 8th over while fielding. He has been taken for further scans and won't take any further part in the game.
Rohit Sharma was hit on the right elbow while batting and felt some pain later. He won't take the field.#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/s8KINKvCl4
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 23, 2021
This is a massive blow to the title hopes of Delhi Capitals as their captain could miss the tournament due to injury. They will face three times champions Chennai Super Kings in their first match of this season at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
It will be intriguing to see who will lead Delhi Capitals during IPL 2021 if Iyer misses the tournament. Steve Smith, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ajinkya Rahane are senior candidates for this role, while someone like Rishabh Pant could also be in contention for this role.
A good IPL 2021 tournament would have helped Iyer to cement his place in Indian team ahead of T-20 World Cup in October. He had recently signed a contract with Lancashire Count Club for Royal London Cup in July.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma was also injured when he was hit on his right elbow off a Mark Wood delivery while batting in the 1st ODI against England and did not take the field on Tuesday. However, Sharma was seen during the post-match press conference, so his injury is likely to be a minor one.