KL Rahul ruled out of World Test Championship

 Star India batter and Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul has been ruled out of the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia and the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a hip injury.

The wicketkeeper batter took his Instagram handle to post that he would not play the WTC final, which will be held at the Oval, England against Australia.

The batter confirmed that he is set to undergo surgery on his thigh, which will rule him out for the World Test Championship finale against Australia on 7 June at The Oval.

"Update - After careful consideration and consultation with the medical team, it's been concluded that I'll be undergoing a surgery on my thigh shortly. My focus will be on my rehabilitation and recovery in the coming weeks. It's a tough call to make, but I know it's the right one to ensure a full recovery. As the team captain, it pains me deeply not to be able to be there during this crucial period. But, I'm confident that the boys will rise to the occasion and give their best performance as always. I'll be cheering for them from the sidelines with all of you, watching every game. @lucknowsupergiants," Rahul said.

"Absolutely gutted that I won't be at the Oval next month with Team India. I'll do everything I can to get back in blue and help my country. That has always been my focus and priority. @indiancricketteam. I want to express gratitude to each one of you - my fans, that gave me the strength to get back up, the LSG management and the BCCI for their promptness, and my teammates for their unwavering support during this difficult time. Your encouragement and messages mean a lot to me and motivate me to come back stronger and fitter than ever before," he added.

"Meanwhile, I promise to keep you all updated on my progress and hope to be back on the field sooner than soon. The last few days have been really hard, but I'm determined to come out on top. Injuries are never easy, but I'll give it my all as always. Thank you for all the support and good wishes," caption of KL Rahul's Instagram post.

The LSG captain sustained the injury in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 1. Chasing a ball in the outfield in the second over, he clutched at his thigh and then limped off the field.

The way Rahul pulled up at boundary made it clear that it was a serious injury. He immediately slumped on the field and was attended to by emergency personnel.

The support staff immediately requested a stretcher to help him off the pitch. Rahul had to leave the field, and the keeper-bat did not return until the chase of a modest 127 got unexpectedly tense.

LSG captain then came out to bat at No. 11 in a bid to get his team past the finish line. But he was unable to run between the wickets, which resulted in Amit Mishra face every single ball of the final over against RCB. Lucknow eventually lost tge closely fought fixture by 18 runs.