Delhi Capitals pacer Lungi Ngidi suffered a serious head injury while trying to catch Punjab Kings batsman Priyansh Arya during their IPL 2026 match in Delhi on Saturday.
The South African was taken to Max Hospital on Pusa Road in Delhi for further medical examination, news agency PTI reported.
The incident occurred in the third over of Punjab Kings’ chase when Arya clipped a full ball onto the stumps of Axar Patel. The ball went high midway through, where Ngidi ran back to complete the catch.
However, he missed the opportunity and failed to catch the ball. As he fell backwards, Ngidi landed badly and hit the back of his head hard on the ground at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
His head bounced off the surface as he fell, and he immediately felt pain in his head. He rolled to one side and remained still on the ground for some time, causing immediate concern among players and support staff.
The physiotherapist and team doctor ran onto the field and attended to the South African pacer. He remained on the ground for more than a minute while medical staff checked him. Then they carried a stretcher onto the field.
The physiotherapist was seen talking to Ngidi while holding his neck, and the fact that he was able to respond came as some relief.
An ambulance was taken to the ground as doctors and physiotherapists surrounded him. They carefully placed a neck brace under his head and around his neck before preparing to take him off the field.
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting also took the field as the medical team worked around Ngidi.
There were worried faces in the Delhi Capitals camp when the stretcher came out. The harsh outfield of the Arun Jaitley Stadium raised concerns about the impact of the fall.
The crowd inside the stadium also fell silent as they understood the severity of the injury.
It seemed unlikely that Ngidi would return to the match after the heavy fall.