Ambati Rayudu suffered grade 1 groin tear, confirms Mumbai Indians coach

The head coach of Mumbai Indians mentioned that Ambati Rayudu, carried off the field on a stretcher while fielding against Rising Pune Supergiant, suffered a grade 1 tear. The Mumbai Indians coach, Mahela Jayawardene, confirmed that the Mumbai batsman will remain out of action for at least eight to ten days.

There loomed a shadow of doubt regarding the nature of injury after he was stretchered off the field on Thursday. Sony commentator and broadcaster reckoned that the right-hander suffered from a hamstring or groin. “We reckon it could be groin or hamstring” said an unsure Manjrekar during the 16th over of second innings of the encounter between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant. Steve Smith-led side went on to win the contest after heroics from Steve Smith.

Mahela Jayawardene who has been a part of Delhi Daredevils, Kochi Tuskers Kerela and Kings XI Punjab, is now playing the role of the head coach in the Mumbai Indians camp. He further stated that an assessment will be conducted after eight days and a decision will be taken accordingly. This announcement makes it certain that the 31-year Hyderabad batsman will miss four important matches before the assessment is adjudged.

Rayudu joins the never-ending list of injured players in the IPL following the likes of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, AB de Villiers, Murali Vijay, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dwayne Bravo, Quinton De Kock, Mitchell Marsh and Angelo Matthews.

The right-hand middle order batsman has been a quintessential member of the Mumbai squad since its inception. Rayudu has always played the anchor role in along with the star-studded Mumbai lineup year after year. In 110 matches, Rayudu has amassed over 2335 runs at a strike rate of 126. He averages almost 28 in IPL in the cumulative tally for all seasons.

Mumbai Indians will miss the services of Rayudu in their upcoming matches against Royal Challenger Bangalore, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad.