Hairline fracture puts Laxman out of IPL

Languishing at the bottom of the table, Deccan Chargers were dealt another jolt when VVS Laxman, their captain, ruled himself out of the rest of the Indian Premier League after failing to recover from a hairline fracture just below his right wrist.

"I was very keen to play in yesterday's (Sunday) match and the coming one. But I found it nearly impossible to hold the bat and face even a tennis ball," he said just before a practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium after another visit to the orthopaedic surgeon.

"It's sad that I had to miss some of the matches. It is all the more disappointing since the injury came when I was getting into the groove," said Laxman, whose right hand was encased in plaster.

Laxman injured his wrist during his 52 in a losing cause against Bangalore and missed the games against Chennai and Rajasthan.