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New Zealand police say they have so far been unable to establish a motive for the assault on cricketer Jesse Ryder outside a bar in Christchurch.

Ryder is in a medically induced coma after being attacked twice in quick succession as he left the bar.

He is believed to have suffered serious head injuries after the assaults and is now in intensive care.

At least 10 or more people are thought to have witnessed the incident, a police spokesman said.

Ryder has a history of disciplinary lapses and alcohol-related incidents. Although he had been drinking before the assault on Thursday morning, police said alcohol was not a factor.

The cricketer was in Christchurch playing for Wellington against Canterbury in the domestic one-day competition.

The 28-year-old had been due to fly to Delhi to start his $300,000 (£200,000) contract in the Indian Premier League.

He had chosen not to play for New Zealand since the Napier ODI against South Africa in February 2012 after he was disciplined by team management for being out drinking while carrying an injury.

'Extremely concerned'

"We believe at least 10 or more people have witnessed some of the events," Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Archer said on Thursday.

"There are CCTV cameras in the area and we're going through the process of downloading and reviewing that footage so we can have a clearer picture of what has taken place."

Mr Archer said that "two or three men" carried out the attacks on the cricketer - but he did not think that alcohol was a "contributing factor".

A witness to the assaults told New Zealand's One News that she could hear the impact of the blows from inside the bar.

"As soon as the fight started there were probably four or five guys that ran out to pull them off him and hold them back while he stumbled off over the road," the witness said.

Mr Archer said that Ryder was attacked again by one of the men after he moved across the road.

He said that no weapon was believed to have been used and that so far no motive had been established for the attack.

"At this stage we have not identified the people involved in the incident but are following positive lines of inquiry," he added.

"We are asking for witnesses to come forward and to speak to us about it."

Ryder's friends and domestic and international cricketers have been sending messages of support via social media.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said he was "extremely concerned" for Ryder.

Meanwhile the head of the country's Cricket Players' Association, Heath Mills, has flown to Christchurch to be with Ryder.

"The cricket community's very shocked at what's happened to Jesse. It's a sad day for us," he said.

The attack has also been condemned by Prime Minister John Key, who expressed his shock over the "sinister" and "vicious" incident.