Lendl Simmons Ruled out of IPL; Martin Guptill Named Replacement

By: Tarish Bhatt

What could turn out to be a big blow for the defending champions Mumbai Indians, their opener Lendl Simmons has been ruled out of IPL 2016.

Simmons has sustained a lower-back injury, which also kept him out of initial World T20 matches. New Zealand opener Martin Guptill will replace him in the team.

During Mumbai’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Ricky Ponting, their coach, informed about Simmons’ injury and the inclusion of Guptill in the squad.

Meanwhile, @54simmo has been ruled out of #IPL2016. He will be replaced by @Martyguptill in @mipaltan, said #MI‘s Ricky Ponting. #KKRvMI

— Drcricket7 (@Drcricket7) April 13, 2016

Simmons also missed the match against the Knight Riders, and captain Rohit Sharma had said that the West Indian won’t be available for a few matches, but it turned out to be much worst.

“Simmons is injured, not available for the next few games as well,” Rohit said. “Parthiv is returning. Southee gets a game and Gopal misses out.”

Guptill, meanwhile, remained unpicked in the Indian Premier League action, despite being in rich form for New Zealand across formats.

His inclusion will strengthen the Mumbai Indians’ squad, which is aiming to defend the title.