Muttiah Muralitharan is stable after undergoingangioplasty in Chennai hospital

BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, April 19:

Former Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan underwent an angioplasty in a Chennai hospital on Sunday.

Muralitharan, who turned 49 on Saturday, had a clot in his artery, which required the procedure. Currently part of coaching staff of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he is likely to be back in SRH dug-out soon.

“During a routine check-up late last month, a clot was identified and the angioplasty was done on Sunday. It was a pre-planned procedure for Muralitharan which went off smoothly,” said a source close to the development.

The source made it clear that Muralitharan was not under any visible discomfort through this period, but got admitted only when he felt mild pain. “He was his usual chirpy self and even sat at the dugout during the SRH games,” the source added.

After he is discharged from the hospital, Muralitharan will have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine in Chennai before he is allowed to enter the SRH squad bio-bubble for the remainder of the IPL season.

Once SRH concludes its matches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the team members will be flying to New Delhi for the next leg of the IPL-14 season. It is likely that Muralitharan will be joining the squad in Delhi once he clears the quarantine period. The team has played three matches so far this season, and is yet to log in the first points.