Chris Lynn who survived a shoulder injury while fielding in the tri-series final against New Zealand at Auckland has now been ruled out of the upcoming edition of the PSL 2018 starting February 22.
Lynn has been advised for further medical assessment after he suffered yet another shoulder injury in Auckland on Wednesday night.The hard-hitting right-hander has been ruled out of the upcoming Pakistan Super League but is still hopeful of playing in the Indian Premier League later this year.
Lynn dislocated his shoulder in an attempt to save a run inside the 30-meter circle. A tumble on his right shoulder aggravated his injury and resulted in an eventual dislocation of his right shoulder.
Fielding at mid-wicket, Lynn sprinted to his left to stop a ball and reached across his body with his right arm before appearing to jar it on the turf.
Australia's medical staff inspected the damage and escorted Lynn from the field, with the batsman clutching his right arm in pain.
He will miss the Pakistan Super League as he will be under rehabilitation. With the IPL slated to start just over a month later, Chris Lynn is aiming to be fit for the eleventh season of KKR. Lynn is a key component in the KKR line-up and the franchise would hope that the Australian T20 dynamite is fit in time to join the KKR camp.
Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, even after picking up a full-strength squad seems to be lacking to have a player who can lead the team in the campaign. Lynn was one of the candidates eligible to lead the team, however, his untimely injury has opened up some new issues for the franchise to counter.
Team Circle of Cricket picks up 5 best possible replacements for the injured Chris Lynn who can come into the side for the season.
Eoin Morgan
Having played for KKR from 2011 to 2013, England skipper Eoin Morgan can be one of the ideal replacements for Chris Lynn. Morgan will bring in the much-needed experience in the side and will be the front-runner to lead the team. He can bat in the middle order for KKR and anchor the innings while the hard hitters can bat around him. Also, a cool and calm skipper who doesn't get taken away by tough situations Morgan an experienced T20 specialist could well come into the side with Lynn down with a troublesome injury.
Hashim Amla
Hashim Amla, the South African batsman is next in line to replace Chris Lynn. A like for like top order replacement, Amla can open the batting along with Robin Uthappa, whom KKR retained at the auctions. Such is his experience, that Amla can also bat in the middle order and guide the Kolkata innings. A player of Amla's experience and class ignored at the IPL auctions was a surprising sight. However, Lynn's injury and if he does miss the IPL season for KKR, Amla can be roped in to do the job for his team.
Martin Guptill
Martin Guptill can be the next ideal replacement for Chris Lynn in the KKR camp for the season. An attacking batsman with an array of shorts, an outstanding fielder both in the circle and in the outfield, Guptill can be in the KKR management's radar in case Lynn's injury rules him out of the season. Guptill was amongst the runs for New Zealand and even scored a T20I ton in the high scoring encounter Australia. He is in good form right now with the bat and certainly can use his trade for KKR in the season if needed.
Joe Root
England Test skipper Joe Root who got his candidature enrolled in the list of players who were to be sold at the auctions was ignored as well. With backs against the wall after Lynn's injury, KKR can push for the England Test skipper which provides them with another captaincy option. A typical number 3, Root can stay rooted to the crease and help his team's score. His ability to steady the innings in the middle order thus opens up the KKR all-rounders to go hammer and tongs in the end overs. As far his captaincy is concerned, Root can surely use the season to learn different tricks of leading a T20 franchise which can eventually help him lead England better in future.
Heinrich Klaasen
Heinrich Klaasen hit the headlines in the ongoing series against India. After playing some substantial innings in the ODI series, he scored a quickfire 60 in a winning cause for South Africa in the second T20I against India in Centurion. Klaasen smacked the ball to all parts of the ground and showed his true prowess as a T20 specialist. Being a wicket keeper he brings another addition to the game, as KKR will get a specialist keeper in him. This will release pressure from Robin Uthappa who was KKR's regular keeper since the last few seasons so that he can concentrate solely on his batting.
With these world class players still available for selection and many of them having the much-needed captaincy material in them, it will be interesting to see if KKR turn to any one of them if Chris Lynn is eventually ruled out of the series. For now, Lynn will have the backing up of every KKR fan to make it back into the squad on time for IPL 2018.
