Injury-plagued New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder is targeting a return for the world Twenty20 championship, after being ruled out of the Indian Premier League.
Ryder has been battling to recover from a niggling groin injury he picked up at the Champions Trophy in South Africa in September. He then aggravated
it again during sprint training this month.
Ryder, 25, will miss the forthcoming tours by Bangladesh, starting next week, and Australia, who arrive late next month. The world Twenty20 is in the Caribbean from the end of April, but the lucrative IPL comes first, finishing in late April.
Ryder has a contract with the Royal Bangalore Challengers.
Even if he was fit for it, missing the IPL is probably also a smart move in a political sense.
If his first return to top flight cricket was not for New Zealand but in a franchise tournament run by Indians largely for the benefit of Indians it would not have been a good look, whichever way it was sliced for public consumption.
Ryder's manager Aaron Klee said last night that while he was disappointed at missing the IPL, having had only a minor involvement in his first appearance last year before being injured, his priority was the Caribbean assignment.
"Jesse is understandably disappointed about not going to India, but he is realistic about returning too early and aggravating his groin injury," Klee said. Getting fully fit before returning to cricket was the priority.
"He had a taste of the IPL last year and he certainly wants to earn his place in the 2011 tournament."
New Zealand team physio Kate Stalker has spelled out a policy that no player would be reselected for the national side until they were completely over longstanding injuries.
Coming back too soon had proved costly in the past. "The whole time we've not been putting a return date on Jesse," she said. "He has to have his return to fitness planned and [then] he has to tick all the boxes."
Klee said Ryder, who was New Zealand's leading batsman last summer, was well aware there would be plenty of opportunities to play in events such as the IPL, "but the priority is always playing for the Black Caps".
Ryder will work with staff at the high performance centre at Lincoln.
