Left arm fast bowler Mohsin Khan is not playing Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) first match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday, April 1 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Prior to the tournament, it was learned that Khan would miss most of the IPL season after he sustained a shoulder injury. It remains to be seen if the southpaw can get fit in time and don the LSG jersey. Head coach Andy Flower said that Mohsin’s absence is a massive blow for the team.

“It is a blow not having him, there is no doubt about that. We are hoping that he might come good towards the end of the tournament,” Flower was quoted as saying.

Flower, one of Zimbabwe’s greatest batters across formats, reckoned that it would be a bonus if Mohsin somehow manages to recover in time and take part in the latter half of the tournament.

“But, quite frankly, I had pretty much written him off as a selection option, and if he becomes fit at some stage during the tournament, I see that very much as a bonus. But I am certainly not expecting that,” he stated.

Mohsin Khan shining for LSG in 2022

Mohsin was one of the breakout stars for the Super Giants in IPL 2022. The left-armer picked up 14 wickets from nine matches at an economy rate of 5.96, which is simply outstanding in modern day T20 cricket.

He also had the best bowling average (14.07) and strike-rate (14.1) among the PBKS bowlers, who picked up five or more wickets for them in the tournament. Mohsin finished as their second-highest wicket-taker after Avesh Khan, who accounted for 18 scalps from 13 matches. Mohsin also had the best figures of 4-0-16-4 among LSG bowlers in IPL 2022.