Kaizer Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter says Khama Billiat was substituted in the second half of Sunday’s Carling Black Label Cup penalty shootout win over Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates merely as a precaution.

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The 30-year-old Zimbabwean striker started cramping and was withdrawn before Amakhosi went on to claim a 4-3 win on penalties after the match had ended goalless after 90 minutes.

Khama Billiat missed as many as 26 matches in all competitions through injury in the 2020/21 season and Amakhosi supporters were understandably concerned he had suffered a recurrence.

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However, speaking post-match, Baxter explained that his star player would not be out for long.

“Khama was a precaution, you know Khama has been out for a long time,” Baxter told journalists after the game.

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“He came back, and we rushed him in a way to be available for the (CAF Champions League) final. He was sharp in the training leading up to the final and I was tempted to start him, but he hadn’t played any games, so it was probably wise not to give him more than a half.

“But we had planned that Khama would come in at half time and as it turned out, it was with 10-men, but Khama’s injury was not the injury that he came off with.

“He started cramping badly, which was an indication that fatigue was setting in, and we didn’t want the hamstring to go or the groin to pop so we took him (out) even though it was an important game, we took him out.”

Kaizer Chiefs will next be in action in the MTN8 quarter-finals against Mamelodi Sundowns on the weekend of Saturday, 14 August and Sunday, 15 August.