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Bravo ruled out, Lions name replacement

Gujarat call up Indian veteran to fill the boots of their injured West Indian

Gujarat’s difficult sophomore season in the Indian Premier League has suffered a blow after star West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo was ruled out of the tournament.

Indian left-arm fast bowler Irfan Pathan will replace Bravo, who continues to rehabilitate a hamstring injury he sustained playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the KFC Big Bash League in December.

Bravo suffered the injury diving to cut off a boundary against the Perth Scorchers. He stopped the ball but immediately clutched at his left hamstring and was swiftly treated and taken from the field.

"We all know I’m still recovering from a very bad injury," Bravo said on Twitter. "I had surgery back in January.

"I have come a very long way, I must say, a very long way, but I don’t feel I’m able to give 100 per cent as yet.

"I feel that being not able to give 100 per cent I don’t think it’s the right time for me to enter cricket again.

"Missing the IPL is a big deal for me. I know my fans were looking forward to seeing me out there but I have to trust my body, my mind and my instinct." 

Dwayne Bravo loses wicket... and bat!

Replacing Bravo is Pathan, a veteran of five IPL clubs and 102 matches in the lucrative tournament who played for the Rising Pune Supergiant last year but went unsold at this year's IPL player auction.

In 2016, the 32-year-old scored only 11 runs and went wicketless in his four matches.

After finishing the regular season in first place l12 months ago, the Lions have struggled in 2017, winning just two of their first seven matches to be in second-last place on the eight-team ladder.