IPL 2021 | KL Rahul diagnosed with acute appendicitis; set to miss encounter against Delhi

In their last clash, the Punjab Kings pulled off an impressive win over Royal Challengers Bangalore that propelled them to fifth on the IPL table, with three wins. However, the franchise have been dealt with a big blow as their skipper KL Rahul has been diagnosed with acute appendicitis, as confirmed by the franchise on Twitter. 

"Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul has been admitted to the hospital. He complained of severe abdomen pain on Saturday night and has been diagnosed with acute appendicitis. It will be resolved surgically," the franchise said.

The franchise also added that the wicketkeeper-batsman did not respond to the medication, which forced them to admit their skipper to the hospital, where he would now be surgically treated, meaning that he could very well miss a large chunk of their games this season. In this season thus far, the right-handed batsman has scored 331 runs, at an average of 66.20 and a strike rate of 136.21.

ESPNCricinfo reported that the right-handed batsman could miss up to four weeks of action once he returns post-surgery, which could rule him out of the IPL. In his absence, PTI reported that Mayank Agarwal would take over the leadership duties after Chris Gayle led the side for a part of their clash against RCB last game.