Sai Sudharsan suffers rib fracture, could return for IPL
What's the story
Indian cricketer Sai Sudharsan has suffered a rib fracture during the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The injury occurred while he was diving for a run in Tamil Nadu's match against Madhya Pradesh in Ahmedabad. As per PTI, according to a BCCI source, the 24-year-old is likely to be out of action for over a month due to this injury. He co
Injury specifics
Sudharsan's injury details and recovery process
Sudharsan fractured the "anterior cortex of seventh right rib" while completing a diving run. He is not part of India's white-ball squad but was expected to play for Tamil Nadu in the remaining Ranji Trophy matches. However, sources indicate that he may miss those games too. The young cricketer reported to Bengaluru's Centre Of Excellence (CoE) on December 29, where scans confirmed a "slender, undisplaced fracture of the anterior cortex of the right seventh rib."
Recovery plan
Sudharsan's injury location and rehabilitation
Notably, the exact location of his fracture was where he had been hit during a net session earlier in the tournament. A report from CoE stated, "Sai is undertaking lower-body strength and conditioning work with appropriate protection to the injured rib to facilitate healing, and he has responded well to the program." The report further added that upper-body training will be introduced once acute symptoms settle over the next 7-10 days.
Return expectations
Sudharsan's return timeline and future prospects
Typically, an injury of this nature takes six to eight weeks to heal. This means that Sudharsan could be fit in time for IPL 2025, where he plays for Gujarat Titans. Despite his injury woes, Sudharsan has had a promising career so far. He made his Test debut in 2025 and has played six matches, scoring 302 runs at an average of 27.45. He has also represented India in three ODIs and one T20I match.
Form
Sudharsan's recent run of form
Sudharsan was recently seen in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored 192 runs from six matches at 38.40 (100s: 1, 50s: 1). Sudharsan featured in two VHT matches thereafter and got scores worth 48 and 51 respectively. Before SMAT, Sudharsan featured for India against South Africa. After being left out of the 1st Test in Kolkata, Sudharsan was included for the contest in Guwahati. He scored just 15 and 14 runs.