James Faulkner, one of the finest all-rounders in the game a few years ago, quickly went from Australian World Cup hero to not being anywhere close to the national squad. He was the player of the match in the 2015 World Cup final against New Zealand.
Although he’s been out of the race for a while, Faulkner is starting to make his presence felt once again. Playing for the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL 2021, the Aussie has picked up 8 wickets in 3 games along with scoring a match-winning cameo against Peshawar.
Since IPL is usually considered as a stepping stone for players from many countries, Faulkner will have an eye on the mega-event that’s scheduled to restart in September. Considering the fact that many foreign cricketers have withdrawn from the event due to covid-19 complications, IPL franchises could benefit a lot from a player of Faulkner’s caliber.
Here we take a look at 3 such franchises, who could use James Faulkner’s services:
1) Royal Challengers Bangalore
The RCB teams over the years have had problems with death bowling. Faulkner, who’s known for his back-of-the-hand slower deliveries and cutters, could prove to be useful at the death. Not to mention because of a packed schedule, Australian cricketers playing for the national team are unlikely to take part in the phase 2 of IPL 2021.
Therefore, Adam Zampa, Dan Christian, Kane Richardson, and Daniel Sams might be missing from the team in September. Faulkner would be a perfect replacement as he can fill the gap of an all-rounder that a few of the aforementioned players leaving would have created.
RCB’s problem of being over-reliant on AB de Villiers in the death overs would also be solved with the inclusion of James Faulkner in the squad.
2) Kolkata Knight Riders
The franchise from Kolkata has had a tough time in the IPL. They’re languishing at 7th place on the table, with just 2 wins from seven games. Eoin Morgan, their captain, is unlikely to take part according to ECB director, Ashley Giles’ statement. To worsen their woes, Pat Cummins has also made himself unavailable for the second phase in UAE.
Although Cummins had a sub-par IPL 2021, his experience in leading the bowling attack will be missed. However, Faulkner can fulfill the wicket-taking role that Cummins is capable of, and also partner Russell to form a dangerous partnership in the middle order.
3) Punjab Kings
Another team that struggled in IPL 2021 was Punjab Kings. Their lack of a hard-hitting lower-order batsman has proved to be costly not just in the recent IPL, but also in the past. Although Moises Henriques was a decent addition to the squad last time around, someone like Faulkner could change the dynamics of the team. Faulkner, who has a good strike-rate of 135.48 in 60 IPL matches, is capable of turning things around in the death overs.
In the IPL 2021 auction, Punjab splurged a huge amount of money on Australian fast bowlers, Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith. Their performances unfortunately have been very underwhelming. Hence, the addition of Faulkner would bolster not just their traditionally weak bowling attack, but also provide much-needed impetus to the lower-order batting.