Shreyas Iyer ruled out of England series; could miss first half of IPL 2021

Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the remaining two One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against England after hurting his left shoulder during the opening game in Pune on Tuesday.

Delhi Capitals skipper Iyer has reportedly dislocated his shoulder and could miss the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, which is due to begin on April 9, according to ESPN Cricinfo.

Iyer, who walked off the field during the eighth over of England's chase on Tuesday, was taken for scans immediately. Later in the game, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had offered an update on Iyer saying, "Shreyas Iyer subluxated his left shoulder in the 8th over while fielding. He has been taken for further scans and won't take any further part in the game."

Although the BCCI is yet to officially announce Iyer's situation, the report has stated that the injury will take several weeks to heal. Iyer's absence won't hurt India's game plans to a great extent, considering the side has Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill on the bench. But Delhi Capitals (DC) will feel the pain of Iyer's injury since he is not only their captain but also their key batsman in the top order. Rishabh Pant, who is DC's vice-captain, is expected to lead the side in Iyer's absence.

In the last six months, this is the second time Iyer has suffered a shoulder injury, having sustained one during India's limited-overs leg in Australia last year. Before joining the Indian squad for the white-ball segment against England, Iyer had played four Vijay Hazare games for Mumbai, in which he scored two centuries.

The latest shoulder injury could also affect Iyer's assignment with Lancashire, the English county that had signed Iyer for the Royal London Cup (50-overs tournament) in the summer. Iyer was supposed to join the Lancashire team from July 15.

Iyer had a terrific IPL season last year, where he led DC to their first-ever final. Unfortunately, DC lost to Mumbai Indians (MI), who had clinched their record fifth title. Iyer was the fourth-highest run-scorer then, and second-highest for DC, with an aggregate of 519 runs behind KL Rahul, DC teammate Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner.

DC's first game is on the second day of the IPL 2021, against three-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in Mumbai.