Injured Tom Curran ruled out of the remainder of BBL

Sydney Sixers fast bowler Tom Curran has been ruled out of the remainder of the BBL 2021-22 after suffering a troublesome hotspot in his back and is set to return to the UK immediately for his rehabilitation. The defending champions will also miss the services of spinners Ben Manenti and Steve O'Keefe due to injuries.

Curran, who has taken six wickets in four matches this edition, was expected to play a crucial role in the Sixers' pace attack alongside his English team-mate Chris Jordan. He was the team's leading wicket-taker in the 2019-2020 title-winning campaign and chipped in with the bat in the middle order before missing last season's BBL because of the difficulty in travel and the need to quarantine.

Meanwhile, Manenti, who suffered neck stress fractures, will continue to undergo treatment in Hobart, where he plays Premier Cricket, and Sydney. O'Keefe, who has scalped seven this BBL, is ruled out of action in the "short term" after straining his calf in Sixers' seven-wicket win over Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Wednesday. Sixers said in a statement that the veteran spinner is unlikely to feature in their next home fixture against Adelaide Strikers on Tuesday, and "a return to play to be assessed in due course."

Despite losing three key players to injuries, captain Moises Henriques believes the team, who are the table-toppers currently, has a strong bench strength to overcome these challenges.

"We pride ourselves on being a club and a team that embraces challenges but to lose players of the calibre of Tom and Ben, and to have SOK on the sidelines, would be a challenge for any team and those guys aren't simply replaced," Henriques said.

"On and off the field, all three of those guys play a massive role for us and their presence around the team and skills on the field will be missed by everybody in the group. But for us, we always look to have 18-match ready players in our squad, and we see it as an opportunity for others within our group.

Henriques said there is "no need to panic" as he believes this series of injuries has only opened the doors for the likes of leg spinner Lloyd Pope and fast bowler Mickey Edwards and to step up.

"There are guys like Lloyd Pope and Mickey Edwards who really deserve an opportunity, but due to the strength of our list haven't been able to get as many chances as they deserve," Henriques said. "So, it will be a great little period for those guys to have a run of games.

"We also saw Ben Dwarshuis return from injury this week, Jackson Bird isn't too far away, and Sean Abbott is back after the birth of his daughter, so there is no need to panic."

The Sixers have won three of their four matches and have accumulated 11 points so far.