Sacked England batsman Kevin Pietersen is reportedly unlikely to be fit for the Delhi Daredevils' second game of the seventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday.
The Delhi Daredevils captain's comeback in the tournament looks to set to be delayed further after he was ruled out of his side's opening defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah on Thursday with the finger injury he sustained in pre-season with Surrey.
According to The Guardian, Pietersen, installed as captain by coach Gary Kirsten after he signed an 880,000-pound deal with Delhi in February, may miss Delhi's second match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai, with team officials privately confirming that they are unwilling to risk their star attraction early in the event.
The report mentioned that Pietersen, who was sacked by England following last winter's Ashes whitewash in Australia, has been frustrated by the bruised little finger on his right hand, which could rule him out of the second half of the tournament next month, when it returns to India following general elections.
However, Pietersen reassured his fans on Twitter that he believes he will return soon for Delhi and teammate JP Duminy, who top-scored for Delhi with 67 off 48 balls, fervently reiterated the wish, saying that Pietersen's absence is a big loss to the team.