According to reports, Royal Challengers Bangalore has signed South Africa all-rounder Wayne Parnell as the replacement for the injured England speedster Reece Topley. Parnell went unsold at the IPL 2023 auction at his base price of ₹75 lakhs.
Parnell can swing the new ball and bowl at the death, the South African can be a valuable addition to any T20 side. The 33-year-old can also contribute with a bat and has a wealth of experience in the global T20 leagues.
Wayne Parnell made a comeback for the South African team after the end of the Kolpak era and has done well for the National team. He has been in excellent form for the Proteas and displayed great skills in the recently concluded SA20 League for Pretoria Capitals leading his team to finals before losing to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final.
Speaking to broadcasters during the Royal Challengers Bangalore against Kolkata Knight Riders, Sanjay Bangar revealed that Reece Topley is ruled out of the tournament due to the injury and they will be seeking a replacement very soon.
“Reece, unfortunately, had to go back home because he’s been ruled out of the tournament, We tried our best to keep him here, but the treatment and the experts suggest that he’s going to be out of action for some time,” Sanjay Bangar said.
Reece Topley made an impressive debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore picking up the wicket of Cameron Green before a shoulder injury ruled him out of their clash against Mumbai Indians, which eventually ruled him out of the league.
Wayne Parnell Can Be Interesting Addition To RCB
Wayne Parnell has been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in 2008 and played for various teams over the years, including Pune Warriors India and Delhi Daredevils. He played IPL last time in 2014 where he bagged six wickets for Delhi Capitals (DC) in eight matches at an economy of 7.39.
In his IPL career so far, he has played 26 matches and picked up 26 wickets at an average of 26.96, with an economy rate of 7.35. Parnell has had a decent IPL career, although he has not been as consistent for his team. Wayne Parnell was very impressive in Inaugural SA20 with his performance with both bat and ball for the Pretoria Capitals being skipper of the franchise.
Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered their first defeat against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders by 81 runs on Thursday in the away game. Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Lucknow Super Giants in their third game of the league in their home game on April 10.