Chennai’s Devon Conway Ruled Out of Ind T20 League 2024 Due to Injury; Richard Gleeson Joins Squad as Replacement

In a setback for both New Zealand and the Chennai (CHE), wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway has been forced to withdraw from the entire Ind T20 League 2024 season due to injury. As a replacement, CHE has drafted England fast bowler Richard Gleeson into their squad.

Conway sustained a fracture in the joint of his left thumb during the second T20I against Australia in Auckland back in February. Following surgery, CHE initially anticipated Conway's return in May, hoping he could participate in the second half of the Ind T20 League. However, his recovery has taken longer than expected, ruling him out for the entire season.

Conway played a pivotal role in CHE's triumph in Ind T20 League 2023, amassing 672 runs in 15 innings at an impressive average of 51.69 and a strike rate of nearly 140. Notably, he contributed 47 runs in a rain-affected three-day T20 final against Gujarat (GUJ) in Ahmedabad, where he was also awarded the Player-of-the-Match accolade.

With Conway sidelined, Aravelly Avanish, the Indian Under-19 wicketkeeper, remains the sole backup option for CHE's veteran skipper MS Dhoni.

The inclusion of Richard Gleeson is expected to mitigate the void left by the absence of Mustafizur Rahman. The Bangladeshi left-arm seamer, currently CHE's leading wicket-taker with ten scalps, has been granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to participate in the Ind T20 League until May 1.

At 36 years old, Gleeson is considered a late bloomer in the cricketing arena. He made his professional debut at the age of 27 for Northamptonshire and emerged as the team's second-highest wicket-taker in the 2016 T20 Blast, claiming 14 wickets in ten matches with an economy rate of under six.

Gleeson earned his international debut for England at the age of 34 in 2022, making an immediate impact by dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant within his first eight balls in a T20I at Edgbaston. He is set to call Edgbaston his home ground this summer.

While Gleeson has not previously participated in the Ind T20 League, he has gained experience in various other T20 leagues. He has represented teams such as the Manchester Originals in The Hundred, Rangpur Riders in the Bangaldesh T20 League, Melbourne in the Aus-T20 League, Durban's SuperGiants in SA20, and Gulf Giants in International T20 League

To date, Gleeson has featured in 90 T20 matches, accumulating 101 wickets at an economy rate of 8.18.

Overall, CHE's acquisition of Richard Gleeson aims to bolster their bowling unit and compensate for the absence of Mustafizur Rahman, while Devon Conway's unfortunate injury leaves the team with limited wicketkeeping options behind MS Dhoni.