Four of the Brummies' seven riders are sidelined or doubtful (Getty)

Birmingham Brummies will include guest rider Ben Barker in their line-up to face Scunthorpe in Wednesday's opening Premier League match at Perry Barr.

Stoke's Barker has been added due to an injury crisis that has seen Kyle Legault and Phil Morris ruled out.

"I've never known anything like this in all my time as a speedway manager," said Brummies boss Graham Drury.

"We've booked Ben from Stoke as a guest rider for Phil in our next three meetings," he added.

Birmingham are also sweating on the fitness of skipper Jason Lyons and Yorkshireman James Birkinshaw for the Scunthorpe meeting, which starts at 1945 BST.

Lyons had an X-ray on a badly swollen arm after crashing at Mildenhall on Sunday but it proved inconclusive and Birkinshaw bruised his side in a fall at home to Rye House last week.

Legault is out for the season with a broken leg, while Morris has three fractured ribs, a sore wrist and a punctured lung.