New Zealand star batter Kane Williamson's debut for new franchise Gujarat Titans turned sour with a knee injury while fielding on the boundary
Match Report:
ScorecardWilliamson carried off with knee injury in IPL opener
Kane Williamson suffered a knee injury in the curtain-raiser to the Indian Premier League season, marring the Gujarat Titans' comfortable opening-day victory over the Chennai Super Kings.
The New Zealand Test great, making his debut for the reigning IPL champions on Friday, had to be carried off the field in Ahmedabad after his right knee gave way beneath him when he landed heavily while trying to save a six.
Fielding on the deep-square leg boundary, Williamson leapt up to stop another big shot from Chennai's Ruturaj Gaikwad during his innings of 92 off 50 balls.
The 32-year-old managed to save a couple of runs but the cost was immediately evident as he clutched his right knee while in obvious pain on the ground.
After being held up by two colleagues, who helped him back to the dressing room, he played no further part in the match, with the Titans having to bring on a substitute Sai Sudharsan under the new Impact Player rule.
Williamson had only recently got back to full fitness from a nagging elbow injury which has caused him problems for two years.
His recent form in the Test arena, with two centuries and a double hundred, had suggested he was getting back to his very best after a miserable IPL campaign in 2022.
Gujarat, though, didn't need him nor their lone Australian Matthew Wade, who couldn't even find a place among the substitutes, as they chased down Chennai's 7-178 to win by five wickets in front of a vast crowd at the world's biggest cricket arena, the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Not for the first time, Rashid Khan proved the player of the match, thanks to his superb 2-26 with the ball, getting rid of both of CSK's English stars Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes, and then his coolness with the bat to see the Titans across the line.
After Shubman Gill had fired Gujarat's innings with 63 from 36 balls and Williamson's replacement Sudharshan hit 22 from 17, Rashid's six and four in successive balls in the penultimate over turned what could have been a nervy final six balls into a relatively straightforward job, as sixth-wicket partner Rahul Tewatia hit another six and four off the first two deliveries to knock off the eight needed.
IPL 2023 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
GUT
|
14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.809 | 0 | 20 |
|
2
CSK
|
14 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.652 | 0 | 17 |
|
3
LSG
|
14 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.284 | 0 | 17 |
|
4
MI
|
14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.044 | 0 | 16 |
|
5
RAJ
|
14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.148 | 0 | 14 |
|
6
RCB
|
14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.135 | 0 | 14 |
|
7
KKR
|
14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -0.239 | 0 | 12 |
|
8
KXI
|
14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -0.304 | 0 | 12 |
|
9
DEL
|
14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | -0.808 | 0 | 10 |
|
10
SUN
|
14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | -0.59 | 0 | 8 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
Aussies in IPL 2023
Delhi Capitals: Mitch Marsh ($1.2m), David Warner ($1.16m)
Gujarat Titans: Matthew Wade ($446,000)
Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis ($1.7m), Daniel Sams ($135,000)
Mumbai Indians: Tim David ($1.53m), Cameron Green ($3.15m), Jason Behrendorff ($135,000)
Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis ($135,000), Matt Short ($36,000)
Rajasthan Royals: Adam Zampa ($270,000)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Josh Hazlewood ($1.4m), Glenn Maxwell ($2m)
Figures represent auction price in Australian dollars at time of sale