BREAKING: LSG announce out-of-favour India batter as KL Rahul's replacement for the remainder of IPL 2023
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered a massive blow against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), as their regular captain and consistent opener KL Rahul sustained a thigh injury in an attempt to save the boundary in what was just the second over of the game. As soon as the ball raced to the ropes, Rahul was down with severe pain and couldn’t even stand properly.
With the help of his teammates, KL Rahul somehow moved back to the pavilion and didn’t come to the field again in the first innings. When he came to bat at No. 11 in the second innings, Rahul couldn’t do much because of the injury.
Rahul’s case was immediately taken over by the BCCI, as they sent him to Mumbai for further scans. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) is monitoring KL Rahul’s condition regularly.
The 31-year-old will undergo surgery on his thigh, which he confirmed on his Instagram account. KL Rahul is also out of the WTC Final, which is scheduled to be played at The Oval from June 7-11, just after the end of IPL 2023.
Lucknow Super Giants name the replacement for injured KL Rahul
Lucknow Super Giants have now announced the player that will replace KL Rahul in the squad. Another Karnataka batter, Karun Nair, is set to replace KL Rahul for the rest of the season.
Karun Nair has enough experience playing in the Indian Premier League, having previously been part of as many as five franchises. Nair had earlier featured for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Delhi Capitals (DC), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
In the 76 IPL games, Karun Nair has scored 1496 runs at a batting average of 23.75 and a strike rate of 127.75 with the willow. The 31-year-old has also amassed ten half-centuries in the league.
Karun Nair’s last outing in the cash-rich league came against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022 while playing for Rajasthan Royals, where he could only assemble 13 runs off as many balls. Karun Nair hasn’t been a consistent player in the past few years in the tournament, and he would like a consistent run while playing for Lucknow Super Giants.