Ahead of his side’s match against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in Mullanpur, Punjab Kings fast bowling coach James Hopes said that pacer Lockie Ferguson is “out indefinitely” after suffering an injury during the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Punjab Kings pacer Lockie Ferguson is all but ruled out of the remainder of the IPL 2025 season after the injury he suffered during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Lockie Ferguson bowled just 2 deliveries before pulling up and being forced off the field.
Lockie Ferguson has been struggling with injuries lately as he missed the Champions Trophy due to a hamstring issue which he suffered while playing in the ILT20. Hopes confirmed the news during the pre-match press conference and said that the pacer is out indefinitely and getting him back for the end of the season is very low at the moment.
Lockie Ferguson injury in IPL 2025 and his tryst with injuries
Lockie Ferguson is out indefinitely- James Hopes
Speaking ahead of the game in the pre-match presser, Hopes said as quoted by a PBKS press release,
“Ferguson is out indefinitely and the chances of us getting him back by the end of the tournament are very slim, I would have thought. I think he has sustained a pretty serious injury.”
Acknowledging the upcoming challenges, with consecutive matches against KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru , Hopes said,
“We are sitting at 3-2, which is a good spot in the competition, and we have got a big week coming up against the same two opponents, KKR and RCB. That’s just the way the schedule has worked out for us. We have got them for the next four games. So if we can have a good week, we are going to be well-placed going into the second half of the tournament.”
The coach also assessed the team’s performance in the last game and addressed the dropped catches against Hyderabad, saying,
“That was a bit disappointing for us. We knew going into it that it was going to be an extremely high-scoring game. We knew that it was a high-scoring wicket. We got a great score on the board, but then, unfortunately, our inability to take catches that night made the match disappear on us.”
Hopes further elaborated on the team’s overall fielding performance in the tournament, saying,
“I think we have dropped 12 catches in the tournament now… If we had taken those catches, I think we could be sitting here with a four-and-one record, but we cannot do anything other than keep the boys working on it, and keep them trying to improve in the field.”
Despite the concerns, Hopes expressed confidence in the potential of key players. He lauded Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh and shared his experience of working with him,
“For starters, I am really enjoying working with him. And you are correct, he is a world-class bowler. The only thing that’s missing from Arsh presently is a bag full of wickets, which he can get anytime soon…If those chances start going his way, you’re going to see the wickets start piling up.”
The match between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will take place at the New PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh on April 15, at 7:30 PM. Lockie Ferguson picked up 5 wickets in the four games he has played and PBKS doesn’t have a natural replacement for the New Zealand star at the moment. Azmatullah Omarzai is an option and they could also turn to Vysakh Vijaykumar, who was one of their heroes in the opening game.
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