Mumbai Indians have hit a roadblock ahead of IPL 2024 as left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka is likely to miss at least the initial stages of the tournament. The development came on Sunday as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed Madushanka's left hamstring injury has ruled him out of the remainder of the Bangladesh tour.
The 23-year-old was acquired by the Mumbai Indians for a sum of ₹4.6 crore in the auction, with fellow Sri Lankan Nuwan Thushara also getting a nod from the franchise. Madushanka was nabbed to form a formidable fast-bowling cartel, including Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff, Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Akash Madhwal, Gerald Coetzee, and Arjun Tendulkar. Madushanka had notably impressed one and all during the 2023 World Cup in India, taking 21 wickets in 9 matches.
"We got the report on his injury only today [Sunday], and it shows a small tear. It's a new injury. We're not yet sure how long it will take for him to recover, but he'll have to be assessed again when he goes home by the medical team at the high-performance centre. For now we know he's out of the ODI tomorrow for sure," Sri Lanka team manager Mahinda Halangoda claimed, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.
Doubts also cast over Gerald Coetzee's participation:
According to media reports, Coetzee is currently recovering from a groin injury and has linked up with the franchise, but is uncertain about the exact timeline of his recovery. The right-arm speedster's last competitive match was the Boxing Day Test against India at the Centurion.
The five-time champions will open their campaign against the Gujarat Titans on March 24th.
