IPL 2020: KKR’s Ali Khan ruled out of the tournament

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been dealt with a body blow as Ali Khan, their fast bowler, has been ruled out of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). The speedster, reportedly, has sustained some injuries and won’t be able to recover in time. Earlier, Khan became the first bowler from the United States of America (UAE) to be a part of the prestigious and cash-rich tournament.

The pacer came in as a replacement for England’s Harry Gurney, who pulled out of the league in a bid to undergo a shoulder surgery. Khan, nevertheless, didn’t get to play a match though, as the Knights preferred Australia’s Pat Cummins as their overseas pace bowling option.

Ali Khan suffering from injuries

“…Kolkata Knight Riders signed up Ali Khan as a replacement for injured Harry Gurney. Khan became the first USA cricketer to be signed up by an IPL franchise. Unfortunately, Khan has since been injured and will miss the rest of the IPL 2020 season,” an official IPL statement read, reported by NDTV.

The Knights are currently hanging midway in the points table with two victories from four matches. In their previous match, Dinesh Karthik and Co lost to the Delhi Capitals (DC), led by Shreyas Iyer, by 18 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The Men in Gold and Purple failed to chase down 229.

The Knights are next set to lock horns with the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Wednesday, October 7 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Thus far, they have gotten past the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

As far as Khan, is concerned, he has mostly made a name for himself, playing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). In 2018, he rose to the occasion for the Dwayne Bravo-led Trinbago Knight Riders, who became the champions, beating the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final.

Even this time around, he was a key member of the team, which went on to win the CPL title for the fourth time. Venky Mysore, Shah Rukh Khan and Brendon McCullum, who all are also part of TKR, didn’t take time in drafting the USA pacer in the KKR setup.