Delhi Capitals have been hit with yet another injury setback as fast bowling star Kamlesh Nagarkoti has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) due to a back injury. Despite being a part of the Delhi Capitals team this season, the 23-year-old pacer has not featured in any games so far. A report from PTI has confirmed that Nagarkoti will miss the entire season.
In other news, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyam Garg, two promising domestic talents, have joined the Delhi Capitals training camp on April 19th. The franchise is expected to sign a replacement for Nagarkoti soon.
Nagarkoti has been plagued by back injuries in past IPL seasons, limiting him to just 12 appearances since being picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2018 auction. He made his IPL debut in 2020, having missed the entire 2019 season due to a back injury.
However, despite some promising spells, Nagarkoti has not been in top form lately. He had a poor run in domestic tournaments, managing just seven wickets in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022. Nagarkoti has not played any competitive cricket in 2023 and was unable to secure a spot in Delhi Capitals’ playing eleven for their first five games.
Despite having a decent pool of pace options, including Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Chetan Sakariya, Anrich Nortje, and Mustafizur Rahman, the injury to Kamlesh Nagarkoti might prove to be a significant setback for the Delhi Capitals. While Ishant Sharma and Lungi Ngidi are also available on the bench, the absence of Nagarkoti could hurt the team’s depth in the bowling department.
Delhi’s bowling performance has been below par, with Khaleel, Mukesh, and Nortje only managing to take a combined total of nine wickets so far. Additionally, the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel has also failed to make an impact, taking only six wickets between them. With Nagarkoti ruled out, the franchise is left with limited options to bolster their bowling attack.