IPL 2020: 5 match-winners who might be prone to injuries

#3 Jofra Archer

Archer has been the backbone of RR's bowling

Since gaining the limelight as the young fast bowling sensation in Big Bash League 2017/18, Jofra Archer has seen an upward rise in his career. He went on to play in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and impressed everyone by picking up 15 wickets from 10 games. In the following season, the English cricketer finished as one of the most economical bowlers giving runs at a rate of 6.76 runs per over and picked 11 wickets from 11 matches.

Since getting a national call-up, the 24-year-old fast bowler has been in high demand with prestige tournaments like ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 & the Ashes and we have seen the workload taking a toll on him. Archer sustained a side strain during the world cup and after somehow finishing the mega tournament successfully, he missed the opening game of the Ashes due to the same reason.

Again in January this year, the Barbados-born cricketer missed the second Test due to injury and is currently not a part of England's white-ball set up in the ongoing series against South Africa.

RR will have to be cautious about Archer's workload in IPL 2020 and might require the services of the reserves in Tom Curran, AJ Tye, and Oshane Thomas.

#2 Chris Lynn

Lynn is set to start his new phase of IPL for MI

Chris Lynn gained the spotlight a few years ago when he displayed his talent while playing the Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat. Tailor-made for T20 cricket, the Australian cricketer made his mark in IPL while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017 with unbeaten innings of 93 and ended up scoring 295 runs from 7 games in the season, before missing out the remaining matches due to a shoulder injury.

Though the devastating opener has been on the rise, there is a history of injuries that throws some light on his susceptibility to the unfortunate. Lynn has suffered a broken finger, a ruptured testicle, a rotator cuff injury, left shoulder reconstruction surgery, a calf injury, and a dislocated right shoulder since 2011.

Perhaps due to similar reasons, the 29-year-old cricketer was released by KKR, who was later picked by Mumbai Indians at his base price of INR 2 crores. Apart from him, MI has numerous opening choices in skipper Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, and Suryakumar Yadav and should be clever enough to fully utilize the services of Chris Lynn.

#1 Andre Russell

KKR should look to avoid risking an unfit Russell in a match

Andre Russell is one of the most dangerous all-rounders in IPL history and has a reputation of tearing the bowlers apart with his sheer power that even makes the top edges sail out of the ground. He started his IPL journey in 2012 for the Delhi-based franchise before moving to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014.

The West Indian cricketer has been the backbone for Kolkata Knight Riders for many years who has scored 1400 runs at a career strike rate of 186 and picked 55 wickets from 64 IPL matches thus far.

Though the 31-year-old cricketer has been a part of almost all the matches for KKR since 2015, he has often faced difficulties in his shoulder and knee. With the match-winning abilities that he brings to the table, the Kolkata-based franchise has often risked a half-injured Russell in their starting XI. Though the uncertainty has gone in their favor so far, KKR might have to be a little more careful for him in the forthcoming edition of the T20 extravaganza.