India have already decided their squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, and now they have five T20Is against New Zealand at home and before the showpiece event in Sri Lanka. However, many of India’s international players are busy plying their trade in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26.
Sai Sudarshan out for 6-8 weeks due to rib fracture, out of remaining Vijay Hazare Trophy matches
India and Tamil Nadu suffered a major blow as Sai Sudarshan has been ruled out of cricket for six to eight weeks after suffering a rib fracture during the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. This situation is also being seen as a big blow for Gujarat Titans.
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With the latest setback, Sudarshan has been ruled out of the remaining matches of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, where the Tamil Nadu cricket team is currently sixth in its group with just one win from four matches. However, they still have three crucial games left against Rajasthan, Tripura and Kerala for India to progress in the premier 50-over tournament.
Injury details: how the fracture occurred
Sai Sudarshan suffered the injury during Tamil Nadu’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh in Ahmedabad. He suffered a rib injury while pushing for a run and diving to make his ground, but still showed courage by fighting through the match and scoring a half-century.
However, the effects soon caught up with him, forcing him to sit out the next two matches against Karnataka and Jharkhand. Sudarshan reported to the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru on December 29 after the discomfort continued, reports ESPN Cricinfo.
Later, medical scans confirmed “a comminuted, displaced fracture of the anterior cortex of the right seventh rib.” The COE medical staff indicated that this area of the left-handed batsman had been weakened by the blow the India star suffered during the first net session of the tournament.
Recovery Timeline and Rehabilitation Process
A typical rib stress fracture usually takes six to eight weeks to heal completely. This means Sudarshan is expected to miss the remainder of Tamil Nadu’s Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 campaign, but he should be fit in time for the upcoming IPL 2026, where he is a key player for Gujarat Titans.
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Sai’s rehabilitation has started. He is focusing on lower body fitness and conditioning while keeping his injured rib safe. The recovery process has shown positive signs so far. Upper body training will only be added when the pain subsides over the next week or so.
“Sai has been doing lower body strength and conditioning work with appropriate protection to allow the injured rib to heal, and has responded well to the programme. Upper body training will be initiated over the next seven to ten days once the acute symptoms have resolved, after which he will gradually be progressed into a structured upper body strength and conditioning programme,” the BCCI CoE report read.
Sai Sudarshan’s India numbers
Sudarshan is one of India’s promising young batsmen across all formats. The left-handed batsman made his Test debut in 2025 and has played six matches so far, scoring 302 runs at an average of 27.45. He has also represented India in three ODIs and one T20I so far, but lost his place due to inconsistent performances. He has 127 ODI runs to his name but did not get a chance to bat in his only T20 match.