Four days before the start of IPL 2024, defending champions CSK suffered another blow when their latest acquisition Mustafizur Rahman was injured in the ongoing third ODI against Sri Lanka and had to be stretchered off.
The incident took place at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, where the third ODI between the two sides was being played. Rahman was suffering from cramps and was seen clutching his stomach during the 42nd over and even collapsed to the ground after bowling the final ball of the over. In his nine overs, Rahman had taken two wickets for 39 runs.
In the 48th over, Rahman returned to bowl his final over but failed to get past the first ball of his first attempt. After bowling a wide ball in his attempt to bowl with a shortened run-up, he gave up and decided he couldn't play any more. Soumya Sarkar replaced Rahman and bowled the over, taking the wicket of Maheesh Theekshana for just five runs.
Rahman's Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise CSK's plans have been dealt a blow by his recent fitness concerns. Rahman was bought for his base price of INR 2 crore by CSK in the IPL auction. CSK have already lost the services of New Zealand opener Devon Conway. He recently suffered a broken thumb and is out for 8 weeks. CSK's Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana has also been ruled out of a number of matches in the upcoming tournament.