Chennai, India: The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have received a major setback to their hopes of defending their Indian Premier League (IPL) title as star opener Devon Conway is set to miss a significant portion of the tournament due to injury.
Conway, who was Player of the Match in CSK’s victory over Gujarat Titans in last year’s final, will undergo surgery on his left thumb this week, sidelining him for at least eight weeks. This timeframe suggests he will miss more than half of the IPL season, which kicks off on March 22nd and is expected to conclude by the end of May.
The 32-year-old sustained the injury during the recent T20I series against Australia and was subsequently ruled out of the opening Test match. His absence creates a significant hole at the top of the CSK batting order, leaving the team with the task of finding a suitable replacement for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, in the New Zealand Test squad, Henry Nicholls will remain with the team for the second match against Australia as Conway’s replacement. However, Neil Wagner’s hopes of receiving a farewell Test appearance were dashed due to a hamstring injury, requiring him to rest for at least two weeks. Ben Sears, a young fast bowler with promising white-ball performances, has been called up as Wagner’s replacement in the squad.
With Conway’s absence casting a shadow on their title defense, CSK will need to find a way to adjust their batting order and identify a capable replacement to fill the void left by their star opener. The coming weeks leading up to the tournament will be crucial for the team as they look to overcome this setback and mount a successful title defense.