New Delhi, India

Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman on Saturday revealed why left-arm pacer Thangarasu Natarajan missed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 match against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Known as a yorker-specialist, Natarajan missing from the playing XI came as a huge surprise to many as SRH opted to start with Khaleel Ahmed.

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However, Laxman revealed why the left-arm sensation missed the match against Mumbai Indians. The former Indian batsman said that Natarajan is suffering from a sore knee and the medical staff deemed him unfit for the match against MI. The SRH mentor added that the medical team is assessing the Indian pacer and will decide on the best possible step soon.

“Yeah, unfortunately, Natarajan missed out because of a sore knee and a niggle in his left knee, he was ruled out of this match. So, he was unfit for this match and that’s why we went with Khaleel Ahmed. We are going to assess the condition of Natarajan and I’m sure that the medical staff of Sunrisers will take the right decision which will be beneficial for him and the franchise,” VVS Laxman said in the post-match press conference on Saturday.

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Laxman further praised Khaleel for his good outing in his first IPL 2021 match after he conceded just 25 runs in his four-over quota while picking up one wicket.

“I was very impressed with the way Khaleel Ahmed bowled in his first game of the season. I think he assessed the conditions really well and used a lot of his variation along with extracting a lot of pace and bounce off the surface. So, a lot of positives for SRH in the Khaleel Ahmed bowled,” VVS Laxman said.

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SRH will next play against Punjab Kings here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.