|| CF DESK ||

KL Rahul, the in-form captain of the Punjab Kings (PBKS), will miss the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) games after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis, according to the franchise.

The news was posted on Twitter by PBKS ahead of their match against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. Rahul will have surgery and is unlikely to return for the rest of the season.

“KL Rahul complained of a severe abdomen pain last night and after not responding to medication, he was taken to the emergency room for further tests which revealed that he was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. It will be resolved surgically and for safety measures he has been transferred to the hospital for the same.” Punjab Kings wrote in a tweet.

Rahul is the tournament's leading run-scorer, with 331 runs at an average of 66.20 from seven games, including four half-centuries. In Rahul's absence, the franchise has yet to decide who will captain the team. For the remainder of the IPL, PBKS can opt for Chris Gayle or Mayank Agarwal as a stand-in skipper.

Currently, PBKS are placed fifth on the points table with three wins from seven games. PBKS won their previous match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 34 runs. The skipper top-scored with an unbeaten 91 from 57 deliveries including seven fours and five sixes. With 16 sixes in the tournament already, Rahul has hit the most number of sixes in the tournament so far.