Left-arm pace bowler Harry Gurney has been ruled out of the 2020 Vitality Blast and the Indian Premier League (IPL) owing to a shoulder injury. He will undergo surgery in September and he has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he would not travel to the UAE to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for this edition of the league which is slated to begin from September 19.
"Having gone through the same frustrations as everyone this year in waiting for cricket to restart, I’m devastated to have to miss the Blast,” he was quoted as saying by trentbridge.co.uk. "Some of the proudest moments in my career have been with Notts, and nothing quite compares to being out on the field at Trent Bridge competing for trophies with some of my best mates. To have that taken away for a year is tough.”
"I have a huge amount of faith in the squad of players and in their ability to go deep in the tournament. I’ll be cheering them on for sure, and will be there with a word of advice or tactical input whenever it’s needed,” he said.
He is one of those players who could change the game anytime. And, his exclusion will be a huge blow for KKR as he was about to play a vital role for the team in the tournament. Head Coach Peter Moores has also said that Harry would improve any T20 side in the world and it’s a blow to lose him for this year’s tournament.
He further added that with the experience and expertise he has gained a lot from the white-ball career and he has become a real leader in the limited-overs as well.
Meanwhile, all the teams have reached the UAE and settled their base. The tournament which was earlier slated to take place in March before it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic for an indefinite time period. However, with the postponement of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup later this year, the BCCI has decided to host IPL at this window. The 53-day tournament will end on November 10.
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