Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh's availability for the IPL 2022 season seems doubtful after he sustained a hip flexor injury, which has ruled him out of the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan.

Marsh was roped in by Delhi Capitals (DC) at the IPL 2022 mega-auction for a whopping sum of INR 6.5 crore. He was set to join the franchise on April 6 after the culmination of the white-ball series in Pakistan. However, his availability will now depend on the extent of his injury.

On Monday (March 28), Australia’s white-ball skipper Aaron Finch confirmed that Marsh's scans have been sent for examination after he picked up the injury during a training session on March 27.

"He's (Marsh) injured his hip flexor, we think, at training. We are going to have to wait and see what that looks like but I don't think he'll be available for the series based on how he was feeling yesterday," Finch told reporters.

"He sustained that in a fielding drill, it was a high intensity, lateral movement drill and he bent down to pick it up one handed and went to throw and felt a twinge."

The three-match ODI series between Australia and Pakistan is due to be played on March 29, March 31 and April 2, while the one-off T20I will be played on April 5. All the white-ball games are slated to be held in Lahore.  

It will be a huge blow for Delhi Capitals if Mitchell Marsh fails to join the team for the IPL 2022 season. The all-rounder had played an instrumental role in Australia’s T20 World Cup triumph last year. He slammed an unbeaten 77 in the final against New Zealand to help Australia clinch its maiden title.

Last year, Marsh also created the record for most T20I runs in a calendar year by an Australian, aggregating 627 runs at an average of 36.88.

(With PTI inputs)