Defending champions Rajasthan Royals were dealt a massive blow as captain-cum-coach Shane Warne was on Tuesday ruled out of the Indian Premier League for the next 10 days owing to a hamstring injury.

The Australian was injured while batting in their lost match against Deccan Chargers last night and will be out of action for the next 10 days, making him unavailable for the rest of the team’s campaign unless his side makes the final. South African captain Graeme Smith is most likely to lead the team in Warne’s absence.

The Jaipur-based outfit needs to win all its remaining games to make the semifinals and Warne’s absence would severely hurt the team’s hopes of advancing to the knock-out round, especially in the wake of two successive losses.

Besides, the team has also lost pacers Kamran Khan and Amit Singh due to suspect bowling action.

Rajasthan Royals director of coaching Darren Berry has reportedly said: “I think it is a balancing act that will be our focus to get it right. We can field just four overseas players and it is a difficult thing to manage. We have now put ourselves under pressure.”