IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans name Dasun Shanaka as replacement for injured Kane Williamson
The Gujarat Titans (GT) named Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka as a replacement for the injured Kane Williamso.
Williamson suffered an on-field injury to his right leg while attempting a catch at the boundary in the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium last Friday.
Shanaka, who is Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain, is an explosive middle-order batter who also bowls right-arm seam. In the recent T20I series against India, he smashed 124 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 187 while averaging 62.00.
He was also Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer in the subsequent ODI series, scoring 121 runs in three innings. Signed for his base price of INR 50 lakh, this will be Shanaka’s maiden season in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Meanwhile, Williamson landed back home in New Zealand on Tuesday to recuperate after the injury. “It’s not too painful at the moment,” he was quoted as saying Newshub.
“I’ll very much miss the team. It’s been a really enjoyable few days getting to know each other and all the preparation and bits and pieces that go into a tournament. So yeah, gutted to not be a part of it. But you know, it a fantastic group and they’ll box on for sure and they are playing some really good cricket,” Williamson had said in a video message shared GT on their official social media handles.
