Gujarat Lions' all-rounder Dwayne Bravo ruled out of IPL 2017

Gujarat Lions’ West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the 2017 IPL after failing to recover from the hamstring injury he sustained during the Big Bash League earlier this year.

Going to miss this Champion! Unfortunately he has been ruled out this season due to injury! I wish him all the best for a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/XkKiMN9ojt

— Keshav Bansal (@KeshavBansal08) April 23, 2017

Gujarat Lions’ owner Keshav Bansal tweeted out confirming the development just before the toss of his team’s match against Kings XI Punjab at the SCA stadium in Rajkot. When asked about the Bravo’s availability, skipper Suresh Raina revealed that the West Indian is doing well in the rehab but couldn’t take the heat. He also conceded that Bravo will need at least four weeks to get ready and the team management will decide about the replacement player in the near future.

“Yes, Dwayne is ruled out of the tournament. He had been doing all the rehab but just couldn't take the heat. Would need another few weeks to get ready. We need to have a chat with the management and see who could be the replacement,” Raina said at the toss.

Bravo’s absence will be a massive loss for the Lions as they seek inspiration from one of their players to make a comeback in the tournament. After their first six matches, Gujarat are languishing at the bottom of the points table with just two wins and a net run-rate of -0.769, the least among the four teams that have posted two wins in the tournament.

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In all likelihood, the Gujarat Lions management will announce the replacement player before their next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday. Irfan Pathan, Jimmy Neesham, Grant Elliott etc. are expected to be in contention to replace Bravo for the upcoming matches.

Just before the start of IPL, Bansal, in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, said that West Indian will be missing the first leg of the tournament. “Bravo had a hamstring injury a couple of months back and he is still recovering. He will be coming to Rajkot in the next seven days and we have deployed a dedicated fitness trainer for his recovery but he will most likely be missing the first leg of the IPL,” Bansal said on April 1.

Extra cover: Keshav Bansal gives update on Jadeja and Bravo's availability