After Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Kiwi stumper-batsman Brendon McCullum left for national duties, the Knight Riders hastily roped in Hodge late last month to bolster the batting, even though the Australian’s contribution so far has been 1 against Kings XI Punjab and 10 against Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Hodge was summoned for national duty as Clarke will not depart with his team-mates on Saturday after being given compassionate leave for family reasons. His date of arrival in the West Indies is currently unclear.

Hodge will act as a shadow player until Clarke joins the squad, Cricket Australia’s selection panel chairman Andrew Hilditch said.