Sunrisers Hyderabad's Sherfane Rutherford returns home following father's death

Sherfane Rutherford has left the IPL bubble to return home after the death of this father, Sunrisers Hyderabad announced on Thursday. The 23-year-old Rutherford had just arrived at Sunrisers as a replacement for Jonny Bairstow, who pulled out due to bubble fatigue.

"The SRH family conveys its heartfelt condolences to Sherfane Rutherford and his family on the passing away of his father. Sherfane will be leaving the IPL bio-bubble to be with his family in this difficult hour," the franchise tweeted.

Rutherford last played in the IPL for Delhi Capitals in 2019, making 73 runs in seven innings. His most recent T20 cricket came in the Caribbean Premier League earlier this month for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, as they went on to win the title. He did, however, miss out on selection in the West Indies team for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Rutherford's exit is another blow to Sunrisers, who are placed bottom of the table with only one win this season in eight games. His exit also makes it three Sunrisers players who will be unavailable for them in the immediate future after T Natarajan tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, and Vijay Shankar was forced to isolate after being recognised as one of his close contacts.

Sunrisers move from Dubai to Sharjah for their next game, against Punjab Kings who are placed above them with a four-point cushion. The franchise is yet to make an announcement on whether they will be seeking a replacement for Rutherford.