Mitch Marsh has flown home from the Indian Premier League (IPL) to nurse a hamstring injury, seven weeks out from the Twenty20 World Cup.
Marsh's IPL club the Delhi Capitals confirmed on Sunday that the allrounder had been sent home after picking up a minor niggle.
But in good news for Australia officials, the prospective captain is yet to be ruled out of the rest of the IPL and is in no serious doubt for June's global event.
Marsh looms as one of Australia's most important players at the tournament in the Caribbean, which begins with a clash against Oman on June 5.
The 32-year-old will likely bat at No.3 for Andrew McDonald's side, and is expected to lead the team after doing so in the two most recent series.
A win in the Caribbean would make Australia the first nation to hold the T20, ODI and Test world championships at the same time.
Marsh had missed Dehli's last two games in the IPL with the hamstring niggle, and it was thought the short flight back to Perth would allow him to recover better at home.
The West Australian had made scores of 20, 23, 18 and 0 in the first four games of the tournament before picking up the injury.
His setback did allow fellow compatriot Jake Fraser-McGurk to debut in his spot, blasting 55 from 35 balls in a win over the Lucknow Super Giants.
David Warner, who will play his last matches for Australia at the T20 World Cup, also took a blow to the finger while batting against Lucknow.
