Punjab Kings have suffered a major blow ahead of their IPL game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Wednesday as star Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been all but ruled out of the remainder of the IPL with a fractured finger.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first against CSK, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer hinted that Maxwell might miss the remainder of the IPL 2025 season due to a finger injury.
"Very sad to miss out Glenn Maxwell, who has a fractured finger. We haven't decided on the replacement so far," Iyer said.
Against CSK, Punjab took the field with only three overseas players -- wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, and pace-bowling all-rounders Azmatullah Omarzai and Marco Jansen. They dropped Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, who were part of the Playing XI in their previous outing.
Maxwell, who was bought by Punjab for Rs 4.2 crore (Rs 42 million), has been struggling for form both with the bat and the ball, scoring just 48 runs in seven matches at an average of 8.00 and picking up 4 wickets.
Punjab are currently sitting fifth on the points table with 11 points, having won 5 of their nine matches so far. Their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was abandoned due to rain and the teams were awarded a point each.
Punjab have already lost pacer Lockie Ferguson to injury after the Kiwi sustained a hamstring injury during their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Uppal on April 12. He hobbled off after bowling just two deliveries in that match, forcing skipper Shreyas Iyer to use Marcus Stoinis to finish the over.