Daniel Hughes will miss the remainder of the BBL after aggravating his right elbow injury in the Sydney Sixers' first match of the season.
It looms as a bitter blow for 35-year-old Hughes, who had hit form playing in England over the winter and looked primed to reclaim a consistent spot in the Sixers' batting order this summer.
The Sixers do not expect Hughes to require surgery on the elbow he fractured playing grade cricket in October.
Hughes had been cleared to return for the Sixers at the SCG on Monday night but inflamed the injury diving in an unsuccessful attempt to catch Tim Seifert during the Melbourne Renegades' innings.
He came from the field and was in too much pain to hold his bat in the sheds.
"While the news is not what we had hoped for Daniel, and we're obviously incredibly disappointed to lose him for the remainder of this season, we know that he'll commit himself to his rehab over the coming months," said Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes.
The injury could pave the way for Kurtis Patterson's comeback summer to stretch to the shortest format as the Sixers face local rivals the Sydney Thunder on Saturday.
Former Test batter Patterson has enjoyed an outstanding patch of form since his Sheffield Shield recall but missed selection in the Sixers' first game of the season.
Highly prized pathways product Lachie Shaw is another option, having originally been named in the squad as a replacement player for Steve Smith, who is only available for part of the tournament.
"A pleasing aspect of our group is that we have players ready to step up at any time," Haynes said.
