Hectic schedule the reason behind the increasing number of injuries in the IPL feels Aaron Finch

The Gujarat Lions have been going through a tenacious time in this year’s IPL as they find themselves struggling at the bottom of the table. The men in orange and blue have not only lost their chance to qualify for the playoff stages but have also lost some of their most important players during the campaign thus far and the latest addition to the list is former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum.

Captain Suresh Raina and his men suffered their first setback when they lost the services of star allrounder Dwayne Smith even before he played his first game for the team this season. After impressing a lot of people with his bowling pacer Andrew Tye was ruled out due to a dislocated shoulder. The Aussie spearhead picked up the horrific injury while facing the Mumbai Indians at Rajkot.

Injury issues piled upon the Lions when power hitting opener Brendon McCullum fell victim to a hamstring injury and became the third overseas player from the team to be sidelined from the tournament. Australia and Gujarat Lions batsman Aaron Finch finally decided to speak his mind about the situation in an interview with PTI. The stout cricketer has pointed out that the cramped and rigid schedule of the IPL takes a toll on the players participating in the tournament.

“He is in New Zealand, he has gone home. He has been a wonderful player for the franchise and we are going to miss him.” said Finch about his teammate McCullum’s injury. He also blamed the frequent travelling immediately after playing a match to be one of the main reasons that adds up to the hectic schedule.

”It takes a big toll, I think the fast bowlers in particular. You play a match and then you are sitting in a bus or an aircraft,” Finch added.

Speaking about Tye, Finch said that this edition of the IPL has been haunted by a number of injuries which can be considered as the effect of the tight routine. But the 30-year-old batsman admitted to the fact that all these are a part of the game which a cricketer has to deal with throughout his career.

“I think you have seen a lot of injuries throughout this IPL on the back of a lot of travel and a lot of game without much rest. But that’s part of the game and something you can’t control,” he added.

One of the success stories of the 10th edition of the tournament, Basil Thampi was also present at the event and chose to share his thoughts. The right-arm fast bowler claimed that T20 is a pretty tough format to adapt.

“It’s challenging for bowlers to bowl in T20 cricket. If I go for runs, then I motivate myself and think next I am going to take his wicket. This is my first season, I am enjoying a lot, I am honoured to be amongst top players and I am learning a lot. Still I want to learn more to become a perfect bowler,” Thampi said.