The Chiefs will be without midfielder Quinn Tupaea for up to eight weeks, after he sustained a knee injury.
Tupaea, 21, suffered a ruptured medial collateral ligament in his side's win over the Highlanders last Saturday and will be sidelined for between 6-8 weeks - but he will not require surgery.
His is just the latest casualty from this year's Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, with the injury list beginning to swell in recent weeks.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane will miss the rest of the Super Rugby Aotearoa season, as well as the July tests against Italy and Fiji, with a torn pectoral muscle.
Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea has been sidelined with torn knee ligaments and will miss up to eight weeks, while he recovers.
Crusaders and All Blacks centre Jack Goodhue is out for the rest of the 2021 season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
Meanwhile, Goodhue's Super Rugby and country teammate, Joe Moody, is also under an injury cloud with a toe injury, waiting to see a specialist in two weeks.
Young Highlanders halfback Folau Fakatava - touted as an All Blacks bolter - is another to suffer a premature end to 2021, also ruled out with an knee injury.
NZ Rugby's Chris Lendrum has described the high toll of injuries across Super Rugby Aotearoa as "unsustainable".
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