NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians pacer Jason Behrendorff stated that he is "absolutely gutted" after an injury ruled him out of the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.
Behrendorff broke his leg while training last week and was replaced by English left-arm pacer Luke Wood. According to cricket.com.au, before leaving for India, the ball struck the leg of the 33-year-old at the WACA Ground while batting in the nets.
Behrendorff on Tuesday took to Instagram and wished a successful season for the five-time champions and was hopeful to return next year.
"Unfortunately, there was a freak accident at training last week which resulted in my leg being broken. It wasn't anyone's fault, just a very unlucky incident. I have loved being a part of the MI family and am absolutely gutted to be missing this year's IPL. Wishing@mumbaiindians a successful season and hopefully I'll have the opportunity to be back next year," Behrendorff wrote on Instagram.
Last season, Behrendorff was one of the key performers of an MI pace unit, deprived of the star power of Indian quick Jasprit Bumrah and English pacer Jofra Archer. He guided MI to the playoffs with his 14 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 27.64.
Behrendorff was named Australia's best men's T20 player for 2023 after he made a strong impression with his performances for the Baggy Greens in the shortest format.
He spearheaded Australia's attack during the five-match series against India in December last year. With 6 scalps to his name, Behrendorff ended up as the leading wicket-taker for the Baggy Greens.
Earlier this year, he went on to claim a wicket each in Australia's three-match home T20I series against the West Indies.
He also starred with the ball for the Perth Scorchers during the Big Bash League (BBL). The left-arm pacer picked up 16 wickets at 15.87 in 10 matches.
His recent run of form would have played a crucial role in breaking through Australia's T20 World Cup squad. However, he will now be in a race against time to get fit and put his name in contention for the highly anticipated tournament.
MI will kick off their campaign against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
MI IPL 204 squad: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Luke Wood, Romario Shepherd, Hardik Pandya (c), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.