In what came as a blow to Mumbai Indians (MI), explosive wicketkeeper-batter Vishnu Vinod was ruled out of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on April 11 (Thursday). The Mumbai-based franchise in a press release revealed that Vinod is suffering from an injury on his left forearm. U19 World Cup winner Harvik Desai has been named as Vishnu Vinod's replacement in Mumbai Indians' squad.
"24-year-old Saurashtra wicket-keeper batter, Harvik Desai is all set to join the Mumbai Indians family for IPL 2024. An under-19 World Cup winner, Harvik made his domestic debut across formats in the 2018-19 season, and averages over 30 at a healthy strike-rate of 134.17 in T20s," MI said in a release.
"Fun trivia: Harvik scored the winning runs for India in the 2018 under-19 World Cup final.
"In what is a bit of unfortunate news, Vishnu Vinod, who impressed everyone with his cameos in the previous season, has been ruled out of the IPL season due to an injury on his left forearm. His whirlwind 20-ball 30 against the Gujarat Titans on his MI debut is something that’s still very fresh in our heads. We wish you well and hope for a quick recovery, Vishnu!" it added.
Vishnu Vinod's battle with luck continues
Vishnu Vinod, a 30-year-old right-handed batter, has been a part of the Indian cricket scene for some time but, curiously, hasn't managed to establish a significant reputation. His IPL debut was in 2017, after which he was absent for five seasons until his return to the prestigious league in 2023.
Last season, while playing for Mumbai Indians, he participated in only three games and managed to score 37 runs. During one of these innings, he scored 31 runs, showcasing his ability to hit big with two sixes and an equal number of fours. Vinod's performance in T20 cricket is noteworthy, with 1,591 runs scored across 57 innings, maintaining a strike rate of 142.69. His record includes a century and eight fifties in the T20 format.
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