Christchurch: New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram is likely to miss the Indian Premier League as a knee injury picked up during the ongoing ODI series against Australia has ruled him out of action for almost a month.

Oram, who plays for Chennai Super Kings in the league on a lucrative contract worth $675,000 a year, suffered a partial tear of the patella tendon during the Napier ODI on Wednesday, which means he could miss a sizeable duration of the IPL starting on March 12.

"Jacob Oram suffered a partial patella tendon tear. It is expected that Jacob will recover in three or four weeks," New Zealand team manager Dave Currie said in a statement.

The 31-year-old has suffered a variety of injuries over the past year and a half.

He returned home mid-way through the tour of Bangladesh in 2008 and missed the Test series in Australia because of a back injury. A calf strain kept him out of the home Test series against West Indies and an Achilles injury cut short his participation in the One-day series that followed and the home Tests against India.

He announced his retirement from Test cricket last October in a bid to prolong his Twenty20 and ODI career.