KL Rahul injury: LSG captain ruled out of IPL 2023 with hip injury, doubtful for WTC final

In a massive blow, KL Rahul has been ruled out of the IPL 2023 and is doubtful for the ICC WTC final as well.

Due to a hip injury sustained earlier this week, KL Rahul, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, will be unable to participate in the remainder of the IPL. This setback also raises questions about his involvement in the upcoming World Test Championship final against Australia, scheduled for June 7 at the Oval.

KL Rahul sustains a hip tendon injury during the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore

During their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday, Rahul injured a tendon in his right hip while chasing a ball in the second over. Although he returned to the game later, he could not move properly and had to bat at No.11. Consequently, Amit Mishra faced every ball of the last over, as Rahul was unable to run between the wickets due to the injury. After losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 18 runs, Lucknow Super Giants were embroiled in a controversy involving Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. KL Rahul attempted to ease the situation by intervening and separating the two men.

Krunal Pandya will be the new Interim Captain

Currently, the Super Giants are ranked second on the IPL points table, having won five out of their ten games. However, with Rahul out due to injury, Krunal Pandya will take over the captaincy on a temporary basis. Pandya previously led the team in a match against Chennai Super Kings, which was eventually abandoned due to weather conditions.

Demotion from Grade A to Grade B in BCCI's latest round of central contracts

In recent times, Rahul's career has encountered several roadblocks. He was stripped of his vice-captaincy and dropped from India's Test XI after the first two Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches in February 2023. Additionally, he has not played a T20I for the team in almost a year, and only features in the 50-over format where he is also the wicketkeeper. As a result, he was demoted from Grade A to Grade B in the BCCI's latest round of central contracts. This is Rahul's second significant injury in two years, having previously undergone surgery for a sports hernia in 2022.