KL Rahul to undergo surgery after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis

KL Rahul has been diagnosed with acute appendicitis after being rushed to hospital following complaints of severe abdominal pain at the Punjab Kings' team hotel in Ahmedabad. The issue "will be resolved surgically and for safety measures he has been transferred to the hospital for the same," a franchise statement on Twitter said. In his absence, Mayank Agarwal was named the Kings' captain for Sunday's game against the Delhi Capitals.

Rahul is the tournament's highest scorer so far with 331 runs in seven innings at an average of 66.20 and strike rate of 136.21, including four half-centuries. He hit an unbeaten 91 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Kings' previous match on Friday. Agarwal has been less successful so far this season, scoring 161 runs in six innings at 26.83, with a strike rate of 127.77.

Rahul's availability for the rest of the IPL 2021 would be determined by the Kings once the doctors ascertain the diagnosis. But looking at the usual period of recovery following appendix surgery, he might be a doubt for the remainder of the competition - returning to normal activity typically takes between one and three weeks, but performing strenuous activity takes a while longer.

Ahead of Sunday's match and halfway into their group games, the Kings sat just outside of the top four on the IPL points table, with three wins in seven games.