KOHLI DOUBT FOR IPL SEASON OPENER

ViratKohli’s shoulder injury he sustained in the Tests against Australia might keep him from the start of the Indian Premier League 2017.

The captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore would need time to recover full fitness ahead of the start date of April 5.

Royal Challengers are set to play defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the season opener. However, the club would have to decide if they want to risk him for the game or let him sit it out.

“It’s still a few weeks to go before I can be 100 percent on the field. But these things happen in your career. Got to take in my striker and move forward,” the star said after the Dharamsala Test.

Kohli did not play in the final Test after he injured his right shoulder. He dived during the game while trying to stop a boundary during the third Test in Ranchi. The injury might take time to heal and this might have repercussions for the club.

Kohli has missed just one game for Royal Challengers since he joined in 2008. Last year, he could have set a record of becoming the first player to score 1000 runs in one Premier League season but he could only reach 973 runs. The club is set to issue a statement on the player’s availability ahead of the important clash with the defending champions.

The player was very vocal in his criticisms of the Australians in the 2017 Border-Gavaskar Test series. Relations between both sides dropped to an all-time low. The Board of Control for Cricket and India and Cricket Australia also got enmeshed in the bubble. Spiteful comments and accusations flew in all corners and all sorts happened like skipper Steve Smith seeking assistance from the dressing room. Kohli might not even be in the right frame to start the match against Sunrisersaside the injury.