Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward following an incident outside the Aikmans Bar in Christchurch which left cricketer Jesse Ryder fighting for his life in hospital.
Police say Mr Ryder was leaving the bar with a group of people when he became involved in an incident, which then carried on a short distance away.
Police were called at 12:44am this morning and Mr Ryder was taken to Christchurch hospital by ambulance. He is reportedly in an induced coma.
"We are piecing together what took place and speaking to witnesses to understand how this incident unfolded." says Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Archer.
"It is early days yet and we have some work to do to establish exactly what happened."
