New Zealand white-ball captain Kane Williamson touched base back home in New Zealand after his IPL 2023 was cut short in the first game of the tournament itself.

Williamson, who was playing for his new franchise in Gujarat Titans (GT), against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the IPL 2023 opener on March 31, injured his knee badly while attempting to make a spectacular catch near the boundary.

After jumping high in the air to keep the ball from crossing the boundary, Williamson landed on his right knee, which buckled under his body weight and the Kiwi was seen grimacing in pain near the ropes.  

Despite receiving some treatment by the team physio, Williamson had to be carried away by his teammates into the pavilion and he was subbed out by impact player Sai Sudharsan later on, when he was unable to bat.

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Titans later confirmed Williamson would be out for the remainder of the competition and Williamson left for New Zealand later on. On crutches and sporting a heavy-duty knee brace, Williamson, 32, was in good spirits, as he left Auckland International Airport.

"It's not too painful at the moment," he told Newshub. He also thanked the Titans for being "really supportive" in the immediate aftermath of his injury before a comfortable flight home.

He will consult specialists in New Zealand to determine the severity of the injury and a recovery timeframe, both of which remain shrouded by mystery, especially with the ODI World Cup in India in sights.

(Newshub New Zealand inputs)