The Vice-President and Head of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rajesh Menon, delivered a humorous reaction to Josh Hazlewood’s name at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai on December 19. Menon shared a folded-hands expression when auctioneer Mallika Sagar announced Hazlewood’s name.
For context, the Australian pacer had set his base price at ₹2 crore. On the auction day, Hazlewood remained unsold, contrasting with his compatriots Mitchell Starc (₹24.75 crore) and Pat Cummins (₹20.5 crore) who were both sold for over 20 crore.
According to sources, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has conveyed to the franchises that Josh Hazlewood will be the sole Australian player with limited availability for IPL 2024. This is due to his anticipation of the birth of his child in late March, making him accessible only from the first week of May.
Nonetheless, numerous franchises, such as Royal Challengers Bangalore, possess sufficient funds to acquire Josh Hazlewood for the IPL 2024 season. Other teams in a similar position include Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Hazlewood has formerly been part of Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and RCB in the IPL. Last season, the right-arm pacer participated in only three games, securing as many wickets during his tenure with the Bangalore-based franchise.
In the 2022 season, the 32-year-old, however, took 20 wickets in 12 games. In total, Hazlewood has accumulated 35 wickets in 27 IPL matches with an economy rate of 8.06.
RCB secures six players in the IPL 2024 auction
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) acquired six players in the IPL 2024 auction, finalizing their 25-member squad for the upcoming season. In a notable move, the franchise made significant investments in West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph (₹11.5 crore) and Yash Dayal (₹5 crore).
RCB also secured the services of New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson at his base price of ₹2 crore. Additional additions to their roster include Tom Curran (₹1.5 crore), Saurav Chauhan, and Swapnil Singh (₹20 lakh each).
RCB full squad: Akash Deep, Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Faf Du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Himanshu Sharma, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar (T), Mohammed Siraj, Mahipal Lomror, Rajan Kumar, Rajat Patidar, Reece Topley, Suyash Prabhudessai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Will Jacks, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Lockie Ferguson, Cameron Green (T), Tom Curran, Saurav Chauhan and Swapnil Singh.
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