Glenn Maxwell out of Australia white-ball tour of South Africa and doubtful for start of IPL with elbow injury

The allrounder will undergo surgery which will sideline him for six to eight weeks and throws into question his role with Kings XI Punjab

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Allrounder Glenn Maxwell is out of Australia's white-ball tour of South Africa is a major doubt for the start of the Indian Premier League after confirmation he will undergo elbow surgery.

The 31-year-old carried the injury throughout the back-end of the Big Bash League and after complaining of an increase in pain scans have revealed some loose bone fragments in the joint.

Maxwell will go under the knife immediately, ruling him out for between six and eight weeks.

He will be absent for the three T20 internationals and three ODIs against South Africa, which start next week, and the timeline of his recovery also threatens his participation for the start of the IPL which commences on March 29.

'Big Show' was the second biggest signing of the draft for the 2020 competition, joining Kings XI Punjab for £1.15 million, but his availability for the start of the campaign is uncertain.

"I was not confident that I could perform at international level with my elbow in its current state and have decided to undergo surgery straight away to fix the issue," Maxwell said.

"I would like to thank Justin Langer, Ben Oliver, Trevor Hohns and the whole Australian squad for their understanding."

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D'Arcy Short will replace Maxwell, who took nearly two months out from cricket at the back-end of 2019 to deal with mental health problems, for the upcoming international assignments.

National selector Trevor Hohns added: "We are disappointed to lose Glenn this close to the tour as we were looking forward to welcoming him back to the national side in both the 20- and 50-over formats after his break during the summer.

"Unfortunately, the pain he has experienced in the elbow in the latter stages of the BBL increased over the weekend and he will have surgery immediately to rectify the situation.

"An opportunity has now presented itself for D'Arcy and we're confident he'll make the most of whatever opportunities come his way in South Africa.

"Like Glenn, D'Arcy is an inventive, hard-hitting batsman who offers a handy spin-bowling option. We have no doubt he will make a positive contribution to the squad."