Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) medium-pacer Harry Gurney will miss the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) owing to a shoulder injury. It will be a big blow to the Knight Riders, who are aiming their third title, ahead of the start of the season.

Meanwhile, Gurney has been with the franchise since last year. He scalped seven wickets in eight games, including a Man-of-the-Match performance of 2 for 25 in four overs against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. The Kolkata management was banking on the English cricketer; however, they will now have to look for different options.

Harry Gurney ruled out of IPL 2020

A report in ESPN Cricinfo suggests that Harry Gurney will not travel to the UAE to join the squad for IPL 2020. He will undergo an operation next month. Moreover, Gurney will also miss the Vitality T20 Blast starting today. He was a part of the Notts Outlaws and was due to adding value to the team alongside T20 specialist Alex Hales.

“Having gone through the same frustrations as everyone this year in waiting for cricket to restart, I’m devastated to have to miss the Blast,” Gurney said. “Some of the proudest moments in my career have been with Notts, and nothing quite compares to being out on the field at Trent Bridge competing for trophies with some of my best mates. To have that taken away for a year is tough,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Harry Gurney is the leading wicket-taker across the last three T20 Blast seasons with 63 wickets. He has been the go-to bowler for Notts over the last two seasons.

Kolkata Knight Riders are currently pondering over the replacement of Harry Gurney. It is likely that they have finalised and will announce a replacement soon. Currently, they have only seven overseas cricketers in their ranks in the squad of 23 players.

The 13th edition of IPL will start from September 19 and will run until November 10. The matches will take place over three stadiums – Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi.