11:24am Tuesday 16th March 2010
Dimi Mascarenhas is returning home from the Indian Premier League after suffering an Achilles injury while playing for the Rajasthan Royals.
The Hampshire captain left the field after a spell of 2-31 from four overs in Rajasthan’s six-wicket defeat, against the Delhi Daredevils in Ahmedabad yesterday.
But Hampshire manager Giles White, speaking from the county’s pre-season training camp in Cape Town, expects the all-rounder to return to the IPL in a fortnight.
White said: “The injury isn’t too serious, Dimi's Achilles is just a bit sore because he hasn’t played much cricket recently.
"He’s coming home for some treatment but I expect he’ll return at the end of the month.”
If losing their second successive IPL game was not bad enough, Rajasthan suffered another injury blow during the defeat against a Delhi side grateful for Virender Sehwag’s heroics.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to a finger injury suffered while taking a catch to dismiss Sehwag.
He is now doubtful for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean next month.
Smith’s injury is a huge blow to the Royals, but it at least means Hampshire's Michael Lumb should make his IPL debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday.
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