Injured Brett leaves for Dubai, Kings stutter

CHANDIGARH: Just a day before Kings XI Punjab begin the hunt in IPL season-III, their star bowler Brett Lee left the city on Friday afternoon to nurse an elbow injury. It came as blow to the team, which will be taking on Delhi Daredevils in their opening match here on Saturday. Team officials said the injury will keep the Aussie speedster out of action for at least 10 days.
"He is flying to Dubai and for an injection for his elbow injury.In case he doesn’t get the injection shot there, Lee will fly to Australia. He will not be present here for the next 10 days. We hope he will be back soon,” said colonel Arvinder Singh, senior vice-president (cricket operations), Kings XI Punjab.
Lee left the team hotel here quietly around 1.30 pm as his teammates were warming up at the PCA Stadium in Mohali and the entire media too had congregated there. Lee was operated on in December last year and his cast was removed on January 17.
This has put a question mark on the team’s performance with Shaun Marsh and James Hope joining the team only after second match on March 16 and Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan too nursing injuries.
On Friday, even as Chandigarh geared up for an exciting season and fans milled around the hotel, Lee finished his breakfast and after a short trip to the hotel’s gymnasium, was spotted signing papers at the hotel’s reception, his bag and pads in tow. Clad in a blue tee-shirt and black bermudas, he walked out of the hotel around 1.45 pm.
Earlier, Mahela Jayawardene told a press conference that Brett Lee would not be playing for the first match due to an injury.
"His leaving the hotel did not require our permission as the team organizer and security officer knew that he wasn’t feeling well," said deputy superintendent of police Roshan Lal, who is camp commandant of police security at the hotel.