CSK pacer Lungi Ngidi out of IPL 2019 due to injury

South African pace bowler Lungi Ngidi who features for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL has been ruled out of the entire tournament due to an injury.

The pacer has suffered a side-strain injury during the ongoing series against Sri Lanka. CSK haven’t made any replacements in the squad so far.

Ngidi ruled out of entire IPL season

Dr Mohammed Moosajee, the South Africa team manager stated that Lungi felt discomfort while bowling during the last ODI against Sri Lanka at Newlands and immediately stopped bowling.

He explained that further scans revealed a Grade II muscle strain which will need up to four weeks of rest followed by a rehab programme leading up to the World Cup.

Ngidi: A promising pace bowling talent

The young South African bowler has impressed everyone in his short career so far. He has played seven T20Is and has claimed 11 wickets at a sterling average of 11.63 while his economy rate has been 6.40.

The injury to Lungi Ngidi is a huge blow to Chennai Super Kings. Last season he had the lowest economy rate (6.00) and second lowest strike rate (14.1) of all their bowlers. He was a key factor in their title charge. #IPL #CSK pic.twitter.com/YcCaJ8NktC

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) March 20, 2019

Ngidi played for Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 IPL and was a key asset for the team especially with the new ball.

He featured in just seven games but left his mark by bowling at an economy of only six runs per over and claiming 11 wickets.

Also read: Injury rules out KKR pacer Anrich Nortje from IPL 2019

Chennai Super Kings IPL 2019 squad

Chennai have a decent pace bowling attack that features Dwayne Bravo and David Willey. Last year Deepak Chahar was impressive for them and this year they have bought back Mohit Sharma as well.

So, the franchise might not feel the absence of the South African pacer as they have decent options available.

CSK squad: MS Dhoni (c), Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Karn Sharma, Dhruv Shorey, N Jagadeesan, Shardul Thakur, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Faf du Plessis, Sam Billings, Mitchell Santner, David Willey, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Imran Tahir, Mohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad