RCB has suffered two major setbacks ahead of their IPL opener against Mumbai Indians. All-rounder Glenn Maxwell and pacer Josh Hazlewood are likely to miss the first match due to their respective injuries. Hazlewood has been out with an Achilles injury, which he sustained during the series against South Africa. He was ruled out of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy as he continued to recover. Currently in Australia, he is expected to miss the initial stages of the IPL and will join the RCB camp after completely recovering.
Meanwhile, Maxwell broke his leg after the T20 World Cup, which ruled him out of the Big Bash League. Although he recently made his return in the ODI series against India, he is yet to regain full match fitness. The 34-year-old is said to be working on his strength and conditioning in the gym at the RCB camp to ensure his full fitness before taking part in the campaign opener.
These injuries are a significant blow to RCB’s campaign, as both Hazlewood and Maxwell are crucial players in the team. However, the team management is confident in their backup players and is looking forward to the challenge. They will be hoping for a strong start to their campaign against the formidable Mumbai Indians.
Every franchise has got injury concerns
Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lankan spinner, will miss the initial IPL matches due to his international commitments. Sri Lanka is currently playing an ODI series against New Zealand, followed by a T20I series against the hosts. Hasaranga will join the RCB squad only after the conclusion of the T20I series on April 8.
Meanwhile, Will Jacks is now out of the tournament, and RCB has signed Michael Bracewell as his replacement. Bracewell is a New Zealand international with 117 T20 matches under his belt, having scored 2284 runs at a strike rate of 133.48. He is also a handy bowler, having picked up 40 wickets at an economy of 6.52 in the shortest format of the game.
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