Australian International Pacer Josh Hazlewood has become the latest name to join an infamous list of players sustaining an injury ahead of the 16th season of Indian Premier League. This news has come in an unexpected time as the new season will begin from tomorrow onwards.
This could prove to be a massive blow for RCB as Josh Hazlewood is one of the main Bowlers in the team and his exclusion could wash away their play-off hopes. He is currently back home at Sydney contemplating with Cricket Australia about his fitness and availability for IPL 16.
Josh Hazlewood said that he had some great tussles with the Indian stalwart, adding that he was a fantastic player.#JoshHazlewood #RCB #IPL2023https://t.co/TPY424ulG3
— CricketNDTV (@CricketNDTV) March 28, 2023
The 32-year-old traveled to India during the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2023 but he was back in Australia in the middle of BGT for his recovery process. Hazlewood had picked up Achilles tendinitis injury while playing in the domestic circuit last year.
After missing the Tests, Hazlewood was also absent from the 3-match ODI series against Indian which the Aussies clinched by 2-1. With the ICC Cricket World cup 2023 on the horizon, the Australian cricket board will be hoping that Hazlewood remains fit even if he features for RCB later on in the season.
He is currently the #1 ODI Bowler in the world and the Aussies will bank on him with Starc and Cummins. But the big news today is Hazlewood will miss the initial phase of the latest edition and the duration of his absence is unclear as of now.
RCB had splashed INR 7.75 crore for the Australian Quickie and immediately became a key member of the team. He finished the season as the 2nd most successful bowler for RCB with 20 wickets in 12 outings. Royal Challengers Bangalore are facing this issue for the 2nd time before the season.
Their English All-rounder Will Jacks was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury but RCB have already replaced him with New Zealand’s Micheal Bracwell. Now it remains to be seen if Hazlewood will be available this season. Stay Tuned!
