IPL 2021: Shreyas Iyer likely to miss first half of the tournament due to shoulder dislocation

Delhi Capitals have suffered a huge blow ahead of the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 as their captain Shreyas Iyer looks set to miss the first half of the competition due to a shoulder injury. The right-handed batsman suffered the injury while fielding during the first ODI between India and England in Pune on Tuesday (March 23).

He picked up the injury in the eighth over of England’s chase when he dived at extra cover to stop a boundary. Iyer walked off the field straight away and did not return to the field for the remainder of the match. He was later taken for scans after reportedly dislocating his shoulder. Iyer has been already ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing ODI series against England and looks set to miss at least the first half of IPL 2021, according to ESPNcricinfo.

While the BCCI is yet to confirm the extent of the injury, it looks like Iyer has dislocated his shoulder. Such an injury takes weeks to heal and in some cases, it also needs surgery. Some reports have also suggested that Iyer might have suffered a subluxation. But in either case, he looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“In medical terms, subluxation of the shoulder means partial dislocation and can be fixed in two-three weeks, but that would mean risk of reoccurrence. If the scans are not good, one requires surgery too, which means two months off,” a sports medical expert was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Rishabh Pant likely to lead DC in place of Shreys Iyer

With Shreyas Iyer looking likely to miss at least the first half of IPL 2021, his India teammate and Delhi Capitals vice-captain Rishabh Pant could lead the team in his absence. Delhi have some other captainship options too in Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith, who was picked by the franchise during IPL 2021 auction.

Missing Iyer will definitely be a huge blow for Delhi. The Mumbai star has done well for the team not only as a batsman but also as a captain. In 2019, he led Delhi to the playoffs before leading them to their first-ever IPL final last year.