Kane Williamson forced off the field after injury in IPL opener

Kane Williamson was forced off the field after injuring his right knee in the first match of the Indian Premier League season on Saturday morning.

The Black Caps white-ball captain, who was making his debut for the Gujarat Titans against the Chennai Super Kings, suffered the injury while leaping for a catch in the deep-square leg boundary in an attempt to intercept a shot from Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Williamson managed to save two runs by palming Gaikwad’s shot, which was headed for six, back in play but fell awkwardly on his right leg and immediately went down clutching his knee in pain.

After receiving treatment for several minutes he was helped off the field and would not return.

The extent of the injury is not yet known.

It was Williamson’s first match for Gujarat after his move from the Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he has played since 2015.

Another major injury would be a big blow for the 32-year-old, who only recently recovered from a long-standing elbow issue.

Williamson, who stepped down as New Zealand test captain last December, has been in strong form for the test side this year, scoring back-to-back centuries in thrilling tests against England and Sri Lanka, as well as double tons versus Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

He is expected to be a key member of the Black Caps’ Cricket World Cup campaign in India later this year.

Without Williamson, Gujarat still managed to beat Chennai — which featured Black Caps Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner — chasing down 178-7 to win by five wickets with four balls remaining.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission