Chennai Super Kings' dwindling bowling resources have upset their balance as they enter the business end of the IPL 2024, according to head coach Stephen Fleming.
Deepak Chahar, who missed two games earlier in the season with a niggle, bowled just two balls against Punjab Kings on Wednesday night before pulling up and walking off. While Shardul Thakur replaced him and completed the over, Chahar didn't return. CSK were already without Matheesha Pathirana, who was out with a niggle, and Tushar Deshpande, who didn't even travel because of flu.
While Fleming did not specify the nature - and extent - of Chahar's injury, he did suggest that the early signs were not promising:
"Yeah, the travelogue is pretty busy. There's a lot of ins and outs. So, Deepak Chahar doesn't look good. The initial feeling wasn't great. So, I'm hoping for a more positive report when the physio and the doctor have a look."
The Sri Lankan duo of Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana will also fly to Colombo for visa processing ahead of the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. CSK, however, hope to have them back for the reverse fixture against PBKS in Dharamsala on May 5. Mustafizur Rahman's IPL stint, meanwhile, came to an end with Wednesday's match. He will now join the Bangladesh side for the home T20I series against Zimbabwe.