IPL 2023: RCB Rope in Michael Bracewell as Injured Will Jacks' Replacement

Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were dealt a heavy blow by the ouster of their big-budget England batsman Will Jacks, signed a replacement in the form of New Zealand allrounder Michael Bracewell for the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Bengaluru -based franchise made the announcement on Twitter on Saturday, adding that the 32-year-old Kiwi was the highest wicket-taker in the recently-concluded T20I series against India and registered an ODI century as well on the tour. See the tweet here:

Earlier, an ESPNCricinfo report had indicated that RCB had entered into talks with Bracewell as the replacement for Jacks. Bracewell has scored 2,284 runs in 117 T20s at a strike rate of 133.48, including a century and 13 fifties, and has taken 40 T20 wickets. However, he found no takers in the IPL mini-auction in December last year. He had entered the fray at a base price of Rs 1 crore.

Also read – IPL 2023: RCB in Talks With Michael Bracewell After Injured Will Jacks Ruled Out of Entire Season

Jacks, on the other hand, was picked up by the RCB for a sizeable Rs 3.2 crore and was thought to have been ideal support for Glenn Maxwell, who made a cautious return to competitive cricket earlier this year after breaking his leg at a friend’s party last year. Jacks has 2,802 runs in his kitty from 109 T20s with a century and 23 half-centuries. His strike rate is also a handsome 157.94. He has 26 T20 wickets to his credit.

Jacks had injured his thigh while fielding in the second ODI of the series against Bangladesh earlier this month which put him out for the rest of the series. Jacks’ injury could see him missing not only the IPL but also the ICC World Cup to be played in India during October and November this year.

Also read – BAN v ENG: England’s Will Jacks Ruled Out of Bangladesh Tour with Thigh Injury

RCB, led by Faf du Plessis, will open their IPL campaign this season against five-time champions Mumbai Indians at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 2. It will be RCB’s first home match in four years.

RCB squad: Faf du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Karn Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, David Willey, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Will Jacks (ruled out), Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav.

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