‘Frustration watching from home’- Sam Curran gutted not participating in IPL 2022

The 23 year old England International player is not participating in this year’s Indian Premier League because of suffering a stress fracture on his lower back during the second leg of IPL 2021 in October. The young all-rounder was one of the better players in the CSK squad in the last two seasons and the Yellow Army is certainly missing his quality. CSK are yet to register a win in this year’s edition as they have lost both of their games so far.

Newly-appointed skipper Ravindra Jadeja is finding it tough to select his best XI and guide his team over the line. In the first cricket match, CSK was beaten comprehensively by last year’s runners up Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets. In the second match against Lucknow Super Giants, CSK made three changes and all of them were overseas players (Conway, Santner and Milne). The result did not change though. The batting was much better forJadeja’s men as they posted a big total of 210. In the end it was not enough as very much average bowling cost them.

Not The Way That The Reigning IPL Champions Would Have Liked Things To Start To

Sam Curran has been a vital part of CSK’s trophy winning success last year. His quick-fire knocks lower down the order along with some major wickets are something CSK will find hard to replace. After getting that injury, Curran missed the T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes 2021-22. He was expected to be back in the 2022 IPL but the England Cricket medical board advised Curran not to be that desperate and give himself some time before getting back to full fitness. IPL is the best T20 league in world cricket and almost every top player wants to be part of it and Curran is no different.

“Am gutted not to be there. It’s a frustration watching from home. Wanted to go [into the auction]but I did not at the end – which was probably the best decision. Looking back, (the) IPL probably came a little bit too soon,” Curran told ESPNcricinfo.

The England all-rounder further said that he could have participated in the competition but wanted to avoid any risk of injuries. “I could have probably rolled the dice and said ‘let’s go’. I’m back bowling in the nets now, so if you work it out, I could probably have been bowling out there. But I’m still quite young, so I didn’t want to overdo it with the match intensity and big crowds out there and risk another injury from coming back too early,” he added.

“I definitely want to go back [to the IPL]at some stage because you learn so much about your T20 game there: it’s a tournament where you live and breathe cricket. You go down for breakfast every day and you’re sitting with superstars, sitting down and chatting about the game,” he further said.

CSK have two days of break now before playing their next match which is against Punjab Kings on Sunday.

What Next For The Team From Chennai That Has Lost Both The Games So Far In IPL 2022?

Losing both the matches at the start of the tournament has not been something that CSK would have wanted. They are missing some key components of this side that helped them lift the IPL 2021 trophy. With that being said, Ravindra Jadeja and the team management need to find a solution to their problems and fast.

If they want to be in contention for a playoff spot this year, they need to secure some key wins in the next few games and get their act together. Once they have the momentum going forward, things will surely improve for them. However, it will not be easy, with the competitive nature of the IPL and the teams in it, which has already been visible in the two games that the team from Chennai lost.

Both Jadeja and MS Dhoni have the experience to turn things around. However, whether they are actually able to do so or not, remains to be seen in the days to come. Let’s wait and hope that Dhoni gets to end his final IPL (if this indeed is) on a high note.