Royal Challengers Bangalore named New Zealand explosive bat and off-spin bowler Michael Bracewell replacing Will Jacks for the upcoming season of Indian Premier League 2023 starting from 31 March 2023.
During the auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore bought Will Jacks for Rs 3.2 Crore. He was ruled out Indian Premier League season due to an injury he suffered during 2nd One-day international match against Bangladesh in Dhaka. Michael Bracewell will join Royal Challengers Bangalore for a base price of Rs 1 Crore according to the statement made by BCCI.
Bracewell will be playing his first Indian Premier League season and it will provide a great opportunity for to him play in front of captaincy crowds getting used to the conditions that would be prevailing during the 2023 ICC World Cup to be played in India.
“Michael’s been a key contributor to our white-ball teams since making his debut last year. It’s exciting he’ll get a chance to take up the learning opportunities the IPL provides – particularly as a spin bowling all-rounder,” Gary Stead, the New Zealand head coach, said in a statement.
He will be joined by Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Reece Topley, Hasranaga, David Willey, and Finn Allen as overseas players for this year’s edition.
🔊 ANNOUNCEMENT 🔊
Michael Bracewell of New Zealand will replace Will Jacks for #IPL2023.
The 32-year-old all-rounder was the top wicket taker for Kiwis during the T20I series in India, and scored a fighting 140 in an ODI game. 🙌#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/qO0fhP5LeY
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 18, 2023
Bracewell played one of his best innings during the first One-day international against India. Chasing down 350 runs to win, New Zealand looked in deep trouble at 131 for 6. He produced a blinder scoring 140 taking almost Kiwis home but fell short of the target.
Michael Bracewell exploits in T20 format
Bracewell will be an added advantage for Royal Challengers Bangalore in this year’s edition. Known for his hard-hitting abilities on great batting pitches in India will create an impact. He has played 16 T20I matches for New Zealand and scored just 113 runs with the best score of 61 at a strike rate of 139.51.
Bracewell has played 117 T20 matches (100 innings) and scored 2284 runs with 1 century and 13 half-centuries to his name at a strike rate of 133.48 and also grabbed 40 wickets at an economy of 6.52 runs per over.
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