IPL 2022: Kane Williamson to miss SRH's final game, to fly home for birth of his 2nd child

Former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) is barely alive in the playoffs contention in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. On Tuesday, it defeated fellow former champion Mumbai Indians (MI) by three runs in Match 65 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, it seems to have been the final season game for SRH skipper Kane Williamson. The New Zealand international skipper will be flying out home for the birth of his second child. Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Nicholas Pooran are among the frontrunners to lead, while the former has led in the past, whereas the latter is the new Windies captain.

SRH took to its social media handles to report the development and stated, "Here's everyone at the #Riser camp wishing Kane Williamson and his wife a safe delivery and a lot of happiness." SRH plays its final game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday at Wankhede. Both SRH and PBKS are in the playoffs race. However, their hopes will rely on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC) dropping points.

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As for Williamson, he has struggled for form in IPL 2022. This season, he has amassed 216 runs in 13 innings at a worrisome average of 19.64 and a below-par strike rate of 93.50, with just a half-century, while his top score happens to be 57. His S/R is the worst among batters who have scored a minimum of 100 runs in the season.

Against MI on Tuesday, Williamson dropped himself down to the sixth spot, while Priyam Garg was promoted to the top order. The Kiwi scored an unbeaten eight off seven. In the meantime, fellow NZ wicketkeeper-batter Glenn Phillips could make his debut, replacing Williamson in the side while he can bat both at top and middle. Also, he hit the most sixes in the Twenty20s (T20s) last year.