Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer to undergo surgery on April 8: Report

Shreyas Iyer, who suffered a shoulder injury during the recently concluded One-Day International (ODI) series between India and England, will reportedly undergo surgery on April 8.

Iyer had dislocated his left shoulder while fielding during England's run chase in the opening game of the three-match ODI series, which India won 2-1. He received immediate treatment on the field by the Indian team physiotherapist before being taken off the field as he couldn't tolerate the pain anymore. The Mumbai batsman did not take any further part in the match and was sent for scans.

Later on, Iyer was ruled out of the remaining two ODIs and the Indian Premier League (IPL0 2021, which starts a day after his surgery. In his absence, Delhi Capitals (DC) will have to look for a captain for the upcoming 14th edition of the tournament. Last season when Iyer was out briefly during the IPL, Shikhar Dhawan had led the Delhi side. However, DC's vice-captain Rishabh Pant is believed to be named the stand-in skipper, while the other potential candidates are Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

The runners-up of IPL 2020, DC, will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2021 opening fixture at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 10.

Iyer is expected to take at least five months to recover, meaning he will miss his stint with Lancashire and India's tour of England in August, unnamed sources have told India Today. England are set to host India for a five-match Test series between Aug. 4 to Sept. 14.

"Not just the IPL (2021), I think Shreyas will take about 4-5 months for recovery. So a realistic assessment will be the home T20 series against New Zealand and South Africa in September. He will undergo surgery so he will miss the IPL and England tour (August). I am also told by sources that the surgery will take place at end of the first week of April," Boria Majumdar, India Today's Consulting Editor Sports, said on Sports Today.

English county Lancashire earlier had signed Iyer for the Royal London Cup 2021, a 50-over tournament. Iyer has joined the elite club of Indian players to have been roped in by Lancashire. He'll be the sixth Indian cricketer to play for Lancashire after Farokh Engineer, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Murali Karthik and Dinesh Mongia. Engineer was the first to represent Lancashire after joining the side in 1968 and currently, he is the county's vice-president.