Indiana Fever came cruising into the regular season with hopes of a perfect storybook ending. As aspirational head coach Stephanie White dreamt of achieving the 2025 WNBA championship title, the roster inched closer to the dream each day. And like every other story, this dream sequence too came to a sudden halt. As the star player in Caitlin Clark was sidelined owing to a left quad injury for two weeks straight, the news came as a blow to the roster.

Instead of fighting on without Clark, the team’s morale dropped exponentially. Even backup Sydney Colson and second ball-handler Sophie Cunningham failed to save the team from sinking as Fever suffered one loss after the other. But as they prepared to face so-called rivals, Chicago Sky at the United Centre on Sunday, Caitlin Clark had a message for her team and fans.

The official account of Underdog WNBA took to X (former Twitter) and and shared the news. They posted, “Caitlin Clark (quad) said there’s “a possibility” she returns Tuesday, per @alexaphilippou.” According to the news, Clark is expected to make a comeback on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. The news comes just 53 hours before the team faces Angel Reese’s roster.

On the other hand, ESPN analyst Alexa Philippou, broke the news of Clark’s expected return on X and posted, “Caitlin Clark says she’ll be reevaluated this weekend and is making progress as she looks to return from her quad strain. Said playing Tuesday vs. Atlanta is a possibility but they’re going to go based on how she feels.” If the league physicians giver her a green signal, Clark is officially eligible to play again. This means that she can rejoin Fever at the Gateway Center on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Indystar sports reporter, Chloe Patterson provided insights into Clark’s quad injury. She said that the athlete was indeed injured during the New York Liberty’s match. “CC said she injured her quad during the Liberty game, but she couldn’t pinpoint a specific play. “Adrenaline covers up a lot of stuff when you’re in the heat of battle, and after the game, I had some pain, then we got an MRI, and it gave me the result I didn’t want to see,”” Patterson wrote on X.

She quoted Clark on the social media platform. Patterson revealed that while the athlete endured immense pain throughout the game, an MRI afterwards confirmed the cause. And neither the player nor the team was ready to endure Clark’s injury. And while the player announced her return, nothing has been promised so far. However, the league doctors will determine her final condition during the reevaluation this weekend.

“She didn’t rule out returning at Atlanta on Tuesday, but also didn’t promise anything,” Patterson clarified. She further quoted Clark and wrote, “I’ve made a lot of progress and I feel good, but I’m not going to rush my way back if it’s not worth it.” The Fever superstar was clear on prioritising her health instead of rushing headfirst into the regular season.

After spending close to two weeks on the bench, where she called out the referees, gave instructions, and watched the team from coach White’s perspective, can Clark’s return mark a positive change in the team’s gameplay? Or is she afraid that Aari McDonald can take the limelight? That remains to be seen.

Aari McDonald pulls Indiana Fever away from the losing streak

Dark clouds loomed over Indiana Fever after Caitlin Clark was sidelined owing to her left quad injury. The team saw two crushing defeats, against Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun. But Fever head coach had plans. After Colson and Cunningham were injured during the game against the Sun, HC Stephanie White resorted to emergency measures and signed Aari McDonald in a replacement contract under the league’s hardship exception rule.

And this decision of the HC proved to be a blessing in disguise for the roster as the efficient point guard came thundering on the hardwood and won hearts with her jaw-dropping dropping defences. She blocked the young roster of the Mystics and avenged the team’s loss. With a total of 3 steals and 5 assists, McDonald pushed the Fever towards an 85-76 win.

Proud of signing Aari just a couple of days before the showdown, Stephanie was proud of the point guard’s performance. And while the player stepped up her game and fulfilled her duties as a guard, White was quick to say, ““Aari was terrific.” While the player only displayed flashes of her defensive prowess, it was enough to impress the head coach.

“She came in and she was the ultimate point guard. She got us settled when we needed to, five assists, zero turnovers. That’s huge,” White explained. “And not just that, she set the tone on the defensive end. And that was big time for us.” She jumped off the bench early after Colson’s exit and defended prominent Mystics players early in the game. This gave Fever a much needed rhythm as she set the defensive pace for the team and devoured her opponents.

After successfully overcoming the hiccups with Clark’s hopeful return, can the Indiana Fever give themselves a perfect ending to the season? Can they reduce the losing percentages and climb the current standings? Or will the roster face bitter competition in reigning champions Liberty and undefeated team, Lynx as they aspire to wear the crown this season? Only time will tell.