IPL 2022: Will Sunrisers Hyderabad's Kane Williamson recover before season starts?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 will likely start from March 27. Meanwhile, the teams will participate in the Mega Auction on Saturday and Sunday. However, former champion Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is concerned about skipper Kane Williamson, who is nursing from an elbow injury and is doubtful for the season starter.

Williamson was already coming off the injury in IPL 2021, as he had to wait until SRH's fourth game of the season to regain match fitness. He even replaced David Warner as the side's skipper but failed to turn its fortunes around as it finished at the bottom of the points table. Although he has not given a particular timeframe, he is confident of recovering and being match-ready before the season starts.

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Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Williamson stated that after discussions with SRH and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), he would be focusing on recovering completely. While his recovery is in the process, he reckons that he has ample time to recover before IPL 2022 starts. Although he is ready to play the waiting game, he has asserted that the recovery signs are positive.

Williamson also thanked SRH for standing by his side during IPL 2021 and expressing his improvement optimism. He also felt that the Twenty20 (T20) format is friendly regarding workload management. He also affirmed that he would not require surgery despite taking a long time to recover, while it is the last resort.

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"I think it's progressing. It has been prolonged. It has been frustrating, but certainly putting in the time and effort into the rehab and a very gradual loading sort of a batting schedule as well because clearly in the last sort of a year and a bit, I have tried to learn as much as I can about it. And, it has been a very frustrating time, really, one of the more frustrating periods in my career where it's essentially not something that's broken. Still, something more disruptive than anything to my body," Williamson concluded.