New Chandigarh, April 14 Punjab Kings (PBKS) fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is likely to miss rest of IPL 2025, said bowling coach James Hopes ahead of their clash against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Ferguson walked off the field due to a left leg issue after bowling just two balls in his side's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, which they eventually lost by eight wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
“Ferguson's out indefinitely, and us getting him back by the end of the tournament is a very low percentage. I think he's done a real decent injury to himself,” said Hopes in the pre-match press conference.
Ferguson had previously missed the 2025 Champions Trophy for New Zealand after suffering a hamstring injury while playing in the ILT20 in the UAE. Other overseas fast-bowling options in the PBKS set-up include seamer Xavier Bartlett, and all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai.
From the Indian perspective, they have Vijaykumar Vyshak, who made an impact in PBKS first game of the season and make them victorious over Gujarat Titans (GT). Against SRH, Yash Thakur was used, while they also have someone like Kuldeep Sen in their ranks.
The game against KKR is crucial for PBKS to get those vital two points after winning three games while losing two matches. “We've only played a couple of games here and we feel we're getting a pretty good hang on the conditions with a couple of practice matches and the last two games here. We're obviously going to have to change our team up a bit with Ferguson not being able to play.”
"So we'll have a good look at the wicket tonight and we'll see which way we're going to go there. Whether we have to change up our spin attack a little bit or change our fast bowling attack, which we're going to have to do,” added Hopes, who previously worked as bowling coach of Delhi Capitals (DC).
He signed off by saying PBKS bowling department has to do its job well by adapting their plans as per the conditions on offer in different venues. “Well, the road ahead is, we're expecting to see a bit of improvement in the bowling. But, like, I'm not going to sit here and say, oh, we're going to go five matches now, I can see less than 200.”
“We're playing on the pitches - like we might go to Bangalore, and that's a 230 wicket, and has got the potential to be that there. All we've got to do is keep the team at 200. So, like, I'm not going to sit here and say, we've got to be under 200.”
“We have to actually just bowl to the conditions that are going to win us the game on that day. In the last game, we didn't quite do that, and you couple that with drop catches and an injury, and that results in a loss.”
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