Sreesanth out of Asia Cup

Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth has been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup due to a side strain he sustained while playing at the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL).

Sreesanth played for the Mohali-based franchise Kings XI Punjab in the IPL and suffered the injury in the last league game of the inaugural tournament while playing against Rajasthan Royals. Thereafter, he bowled only one over in his side’s semi-final clash against the Chennai Super Kings. Sreesanth was one of the leading wicket-takers of the tournament picking up 19 scalps.

The pacer was earlier ruled out of the Kitply Cup in Bangladesh where India reached the finals and was defeated by Pakistan.

Sreesanth will now undergo a rehabilitation programme to treat his injury. This rehabilitation programme will start on June 23 and will need a further two weeks before a full recovery is set to take place. In the meantime, promising pacer Manpreet Gony, who was selected for the Kitply Cup but did not play, is expected to replace Sreesanth as the fast bowler in the side.

The Asia Cup gets underway on June 24 in Pakistan with six participating nations – Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. India is scheduled to play its first match of the Asia Cup against Hong Kong at Karachi on June 25.