In a tough blow for the Delhi, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was sidelined for an extended period after what appeared as a dislocated shoulder during their match against Punjab.
The 34-year-old dove to field a shot from Glenn Maxwell but landed on his shoulder and immediately called for help from the dugout. Ashwin was then helped off the field by the Capitals' medical staff and was later seen in the dressing room in a cast.
It was a rather disappointing end to Ashwin's night who bowled just one over and picked up two wickets while giving away just two runs. The veteran spinner bowled the final over of the powerplay and dismantled his former side's run chase, dismissing Karun Nair and Nicholas Pooran in the space of three deliveries.
His injury on the final delivery of the first over ended what was a grudge match for the veteran spinner, who swapped Punjab, where he was the captain of the side, for Delhi in the offseason.
While there was initially no word on how long Ashwin is expected to be out, captain Shreyas Iyer has confirmed that he'll be ready for the next match, which is against Chennai on September 25 in Dubai.
"I briefly spoke to Ashwin, and he says he'll be ready for the next game, but in the end, the physio is going to decide," Iyer said in the post-match presentation.
Meanwhile, if Ashwin is to miss any part of the tournament, Delhi do have experienced spinner in Amit Mishra as a replacement, who is the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the Indian T20 League behind Mumbai's Lasith Malinga.
