IPL 2020 | Chris Morris yet to recover from side strain; unlikely to play against KXIP

Chris Morris, who was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 10 crore, just suffered a side strain during the practice games ahead of their first encounter against David Warner’s Sunrisers Hyderabad. While it wasn’t evidently clear why the all-rounder did not make it into the playing XI on Monday, RCB’s Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson confirmed that the all-rounder would also miss the game against Kings XI Punjab, nursing with the strain. 

The franchise had to alter their combination on Monday, with Josh Philippe being brought into the setup as the wicketkeeping option, with AB de Villiers, Aaron Finch and Dale Steyn as the other three foreign recruits. While the franchise has the likes of Moeen Ali, Isuru Udana who can be roped in to the playing XI, Morris’ edge as an all-rounder is an unparalleled option. 

“Chris Morris, unfortunately, picked up a slight side strain a few days ago, he would have played a huge role through the middle and death overs, his batting would have had a huge impact as well,” Hesson said in a video posted by on RCB’s Twitter handle, reported HT.

“This does change the balance of our side, he is a three in one cricketer, he is not easy to replace and as a result, we had to change the structure of our side. Hopefully, Chris will come into consideration for selection in a game or two, we will continue to monitor him,” he added.

RCB finished the 2019 season as the wooden spoon winners, finishing last. However, this season, they have got themselves up and running with a win over SRH in their very first encounter from a rather muddy position.