A back injury to Deepak Chahar has all but put paid to the pace bowling all-rounder's hopes of playing in IPL 2022, adding to the woes of Chennai Super Kings' faltering campaign.
Having entered the tournament without Chahar, their strike bowler, the defending champions have lost all their four matches so far in the 10-team competition and are placed at the bottom of the points table.
While CSK have always claimed that their Rs 14 crore buy would be fit before the second week of April, the seriousness of the tear was such that there was 'no chance of his availability' in the tournament.
According to sources, the India and CSK bowler suffered the back injury during his rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Chahar has been at the NCA for more than a month now, recovering from the quadricep tear he picked during India's T20I series against West Indies in February.
Initially it was believed that Chahar would miss a major part of the IPL, but his quick recovery kept CSK optimistic of a late April return.
The bowling all-rounder had suffered a quadriceps injury during the third T20I against West Indies in February, walking off the field after failing to complete his spell.
The 29-year-old, who was bought for Rs 14 crore in the mega auction, went on to miss the ensuing limited overs series against Sri Lanka.
Chahar, who is also adept at playing the big shots, played a key role in CSK's triumphant season last year.
