IPL 2018: Kagiso Rabada ruled out for three months

South Africa's Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of IPL 2018 with a back injury. The 22-year-old pacer had recently spoken about the increased workload on him in the lead-up to the tournament and was seen struggling with issues in his lower back during the fourth Test between Australia and South Africa.

The pacer was picked by Delhi Daredevils using the Right to Match card and was retained for an amount of Rs. 4.2 crore.

The injury will rule him out of the game for three months. He is currently the No.1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings.

South African team's manager, Dr. Mohammed Moosajee, spoke about the injury:

“Kagiso has been diagnosed with a lower back stress reaction which will rule him out of cricket action for up to three months. He will need a month’s break from all physical activity before commencing with a rehabilitation programme to get him ready for the series against Sri Lanka in July.”

Rabada had spoken about the increased pressure on him recently:

"Something I have to think about and plan moving forward is how to have some time off. It is very important because you ultimately want to play for 10 to 15 years and you've got to have some sort of plan. You can't just drift through it", he had said.

The lead-up to the IPL has seen a fair share of injuries and a number of replacements in the process. With Rabada's departure, the Delhi line-up will be depleted, especially because of his recent form in the just-concluded series against Australia.

England's Liam Plunkett was named as replacement for Rabada. After being unsold in the auctions, Plunkett will be in contention to make his IPL debut, having never played in the tournament before.

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