In sad news for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise, ace pacer Josh Hazlewood of Australia has been ruled out of the first half of the upcoming IPL 2023 (Indian Premier League 16) as he recovers from his Achilles tendon injury. IPL 2023: Josh Hazlewood Of RCB To Miss Atleast First 7 Games; To Reach India On April 14
Hazlewood had suffered the injury during the South Africa Tests at home and it made him miss the tour of India as well. Hazlewood had traveled to India for the Test series but was sent back due to Achilles tendonitis that had plagued him for two months. He subsequently missed the ODIs against India as well. He last played for Australia in the third Test against South Africa in January.
According to cricket.com.au, Hazlewood will remain in Sydney having been sent back home after missing Australia’s four-match Test series in India and will consult with Cricket Australia’s medical staff before joining the IPL. The report also added that he “remains hopeful” of turning out for Royal Challengers later in the tournament.
I’ll Be Heading Over On The 14th (Of April): Josh Hazlewood On Joining RCB For IPL 2023
Hazlewood last played for Australia in the third Test against South Africa in January. His fitness will be monitored closely given Australia has the World Test Championship final and the Ashes coming up immediately after the IPL ends on May 28.
“Everything is ticking along according to plan, so I’ll be heading over on the 14th (of April) depending on how the next two weeks go. I probably won’t be quite ready to go right then, but (after) another week in India to touch things up skills wise I should be ready to go hopefully,” Hazlewood was quoted as saying by The Age.
“You don’t need a lot of workload for T20. It’s more just ticking off those boxes of getting up to speed and pushing back in the run-up. I’m probably only going to need to do one or two sessions at full pace and then I’m probably good to play. T20 is a lot different to Test and even one-day cricket. You only need 20 balls at full pace and that’s pretty close to a game, which is a good thing,” he said.
Hazlewood will still need a medical clearance from Cricket Australia before he flies to India for the IPL.
“It’s a niggly one, the Achilles tendon. It’s a slow process but it thrives on a bit of work, and I’d have to be bowling to prepare for the Ashes, so it may as well be in a game of cricket,” Hazlewood said.
Hazlewood, who was picked by Royal Challengers at the 2022 mega auction for INR 7.75 crore, took 20 wickets in the 12 matches he played last season.