CMC – Injury from a vehicular accident has ruled Jerome Taylor out of the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which opens on Saturday, April 18.

The West Indies fast bowler was slated to play for King’s Punjab XI in the competition to be staged in South Africa following security concerns in India.

Taylor, along with former West Indies Under-15 player Howard Powell and former Jamaica Under-19 player Alton Beckford, survived a vehicular accident in his native Jamaica two Mondays ago.

Media reports indicated that the 24-year-old Taylor was driving his Toyota Harrier sports utility vehicle, when it picked up a skid, got out of control, and rammed into a utility pole close to the bauxite plant in the rural community of Nain.

Taylor was already sidelined from the West Indies team with a leg injury which forced him to miss the final Test against England, as well as the Twenty20 International and five One-day Internationals that followed.

He has been replaced by Yusuf Abdulla from South Africa. The 26-year-old left-arm fast bowler made an impressive Twenty20 debut against Australia last week.

The withdrawal of Taylor leaves the King’s Punjab XI bowling attack paper thins, following a back injury to India fast bowler Shantha Sreesanth, their most successful bowler from last season.

They have also been hamstrung by Australia fast bowler Brett Lee, one of their most expensive players, who is being sidelined with a foot injury which has not allowed him to play any cricket this year.