Delhi Capitals’ Lungi Ngidi left the Arun Jaitley Stadium in an ambulance on Saturday after the South African pacer took a bad hit on the head in the second innings of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings. The incident happened on the third ball of the third over.
Against Axar Patel, Punjab Kings batsman Priyansh Arya leaned forward to take off but the bat hit the tip of the bat and went high to mid on. Ngidi, who never looked like taking the catch, backed up and had to stretch backwards but couldn’t reach him. When he went down, his head hit the ground first and it looked ugly.
A physiotherapist immediately ran to him and after checking the Proteas pacemaker was taken to hospital by ambulance. Live footage showed Ngidi not responding well to the doctor. Delhi Capitals coach Hemang Badani spoke to the medical staff and appeared to suggest a neck brace. His South African teammates David Miller and Tristan Stubbs also looked shocked by the whole incident.
Not only Delhi Capitals but also the Punjab Kings camp looked worried as head coach Ricky Ponting also entered the field to check on Ngidi. Sri Lankan Dushmantha Chameer replaced Ngidi in the middle. As he hit the ground, Ngidi looked in immediate pain and held his head in discomfort as he lay motionless on the ground.
Play was stopped for 14 minutes after Ngidi suffered a fall at 17:53 IST. Ngidi was taken to Max Super Specialty Hospital, Pusa Road.
