Gujarat Titans confirm Kane Williamson ruled out of IPL 2023

The defending champions, Gujarat Titans were dealt with a massive blow after their five-wicket win in the opening fixture against the Chennai Super Kings as Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury, confirmed by the franchise. 

The Kiwi skipper attempted to catch Ruturaj Gaikwad on the deep square-leg boundary in the 13th over but landed awkwardly on his right knee and was helped off the field by his teammates after receiving initial treatment on the field. 

Vikram Solanki, Gujarat's Team Director, insisted that it was quite a saddening thing to see the Kiwi skipper being ruled out of the competition this early. 

"It is sad to lose Kane to injury so early in the tournament. We wish him a speedy recovery, with the hope of seeing him in action very soon," said Vikram Solanki.

While the extent of the injury is yet to be determined, New Zealand Head Coach Gary Stead is hopeful the white-ball skipper can recover soon and lead the team in the ODI World Cup later this year in India. 

"Obviously, Kane got injured last night in the IPL in the first game. First thoughts are obviously with him. We're not sure at this stage about the severity of the injury. He is being assessed in the next sort of 24-48 hours, so we will know more after that," he said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, 

"All we know at this stage is his right knee. It's early in the tournament; unfortunately, I can't give you much more than that until we find out more information. You don't wish it on anyone, let alone your captain of the white-ball team, Kane Williamson. So, yeah, it's a big blow for him, and it's a big blow for us." he further added. 

The New Zealand Cricket Board (NZC) too added that preparations are underway for Williamson to return to New Zealand by next week, to have his injury assessed. 

"Following his official release from the Gujarat Titans with a knee injury, Kane Williamson will return to New Zealand to have the injury further assessed. Preparations are now underway for him to return to New Zealand next week and be seen by relevant medical specialists to establish a treatment plan," NZC board added in a statement.

The 32-year-old was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad for eight seasons and led the team last year, amassing 216 runs in 13 innings at an average of 19.64 and a strike rate of 93.5, before being released by the franchise. The veteran batter was then picked up by the Titans for his base price of INR 2 Crore in the mini auction held in December.