Usman Khawaja - or is that Khwaja - is set to make his Rising Pune Supergiants debut
Khawaja's unexpected welcome to the IPL
Usman Khawaja has arrived on the subcontinent for his stint in the Indian Premier League, but it appears he will be playing under a different name.
Khawaja tweeted his Pune Supergiants uniform today with his new playing number '100' placed above his new name 'Khwaja'.
Looks like Pune were expecting 'Khwaja' to come play. I better go home 😂. #typo #pune #IPL #india #cricket #delhi pic.twitter.com/fdkcSph7TM
— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) May 5, 2016
Amused Australian teammate David Warner quickly replied to the tweet, welcoming him to his first stint in the lucrative competition and commentating on his new outfit.
Baha welcome brother to IPL. 100 no worries oh and shortened name is cool brother @Uz_Khawaja https://t.co/FpPqa0Shoy
— David Warner (@davidwarner31) May 5, 2016
Khawaja, who wears number '1' in limited-over cricket for Australia, shot back a reply to 'Bull' within minutes.
@davidwarner31 haha glad you see the the positive side Bull. All my other fav numbers were taken :( haha
— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) May 5, 2016
Khawaja received a call-up to the IPL as cover for Kevin Pietersen, who was ruled out of the tournament with a torn calf muscle.
Pune have been rocked with injury, with Mitchell Marsh (side) and Steve Smith (wrist) also in the casualty ward.
Hobart Hurricanes captain George Bailey has been called up as a replacement player.
Khawaja was in commanding form throughout last summer.
The left-hander was the star batsman in the KFC T20 Big Bash League, scoring two unbeaten centuries and two fifties in the Sydney Thunder's triumphant campaign.
Khawaja finished the World T20 as Australia's leading run-scorer but hasn't played a competitive games since.
Quick single: IPL: How the Aussies are faring
Spending the time off "chilling" and staying fit, Khawaja sees no reason why he can't hit the ground running for Pune.
"I'm not the kind of guy that needs to hit a lot of balls to feel good," Khawaja told cricket.com.au last Friday.
"I hit a few balls today, I'll hit a few balls again and I'll be ready to go.
"Even during the season I don't hit a lot of balls. At training I'm usually out (of the nets) pretty quick. I do all my bulk training out of season.
"I didn't feel too much different. That's a good thing – I was still whacking them, I still felt good.
"I'm pretty confident (of performing immediately). At the end of the day you've just got to watch the ball."
Khawaja could make his Pune debut tonight when the Supergiants take on the Daredevils in Delhi.