The third season of the Indian Premier League has sort of turned into a 'play at your own risk' tournament, what with the number of injuries seen so far. We have been witness to players from each franchise going down one game after another, and it seems to be a growing, but sad, trend with each passing day.

We give you peek into the casualty ward.

Gautam Gambhir

One of the first players to have his named checked on the injury list was Gautam Gambhir. Delhi Daredevils lost captain Gambhir to a hamstring injury.

He suffered the injury during his the match against the Mumbai Indians last week.

Graeme Smith and Dimitry Mascarenhas

Rajasthan Royals were dealt a double blow when opener Graeme Smith and all-rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas were ruled out of the third season with injuries.

The South African captain fractured his right middle finger when he took a brilliant catch to dismiss Delhi Daredevils opener Virender Sehwag, in Ahmedabad last Monday.

There was further trouble for the Royals after England's Mascarenhas injured his ankle while running between the wickets during the Royals' innings in the same match.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings' skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was forced to sit out because of an elbow injury.

He was dealt a severe blow by a rising Shane Bond delivery during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dhoni was advised 10 days rest and is reportedly scheduled to make a comeback in the match against Mumbai Indians.

Brett Lee

Kings XI Punjab's Brett Lee was the first of the casualties of the IPL, ruled out even before the start of the tournament.

Unable to completely recover from a previously-sustained elbow injury, Lee returned to Australia to receive further treatment after failing to recover in time.

VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman joined the rest in the list of injured cricketers in the IPL when he was hit on his left hand by a throw by Shalabh Srivastava during Deccan Chargers' game against the Kings XI Punjab at Cuttack.

Laxman had driven the ball from S Sreesanth to mid-on and was off to a quick single. Srivastava then picked up the ball at mid-on and tried to aim at the stumps but managed only to hit Laxman on the hand.

Wayne Parnell

The latest to join the casualty list is South African Wayne Parnell. Parnell, who plays for Delhi Daredevils, suffered a groin injury during a practice session and has been ruled out of the IPL.

Parnell will fly to South Africa next week for treatment.

Justin Kemp

Joining Parnell on the injury list is his compatriot Justin Kemp.

Kemp's injury has dealt Chennai Super Kings with a severe blow. After losing the services of Dhoni, having another player injured was the last thing the Super Kings' camp would have wanted.

Kemp ended up hurting his back during the tied game against the Kings XI Punjab on Sunday night.

He left the field after bowling just one ball and did not bat at all. CSK will have their fingers crossed till Kemp is deemed fit to play.

Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu injured his elbow as he attempted to catch Jacques Kallis in Mumbai on Saturday.

The former ICL player and the middle-order batsman missed the match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.