IPL 2024
Andy Flower Confirms Josh Hazlewood’s Release Due To Paternity Leave
By CricShots - Nov 26, 2023 9:35 pm
Views 78

In a surprising move, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has released Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The decision stems from Hazlewood’s impending paternity leave, as he and his partner are expecting a baby at the end of March.

Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood’s unavailability for the majority of the IPL 2024 season prompted RCB’s decision not to retain him. Coach Andy Flower confirmed this development in a recent video posted by the team, explaining, “I’ve come up with Josh Hazlewood on the phone. He pleasingly has a baby on the way due at the end of March. So Josh won’t be with us, certainly during the first half.”

Hazlewood joined RCB in 2022 and quickly made a significant impact, taking 20 wickets in 12 matches during his debut season with the team. His impressive performance continued in the following season, as he claimed 3 wickets in the three matches he played.

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The release of Hazlewood has freed up funds for RCB, enabling them to pursue other quality fast bowling options in the upcoming IPL auction.

 

Apart from Hazlewood, RCB has also released several other players, including Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasranga, Michael Bracewell, David Willey, Finn Allen, Wayne Parnell, Sonu Yadav, Avinash Singh Sidarth Kaul, and Kedar Jadhav.

Regarding the release of key players like Hasaranga and Patel, Coach Flower explained, “Harshal has been an excellent performer for RCB in the past. He is a high-value player in our box. He was for 10.75 crores, and in our effort to release some cash to give us flexibility and buying power in the auction, he’s someone we had to look closely at. Hasaranga was also a high-value player in terms of monetary value, and so releasing that money into the auction gives us flexibility.”

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With these player releases, RCB has created room in their squad and budget to strengthen their team for the upcoming IPL 2024 season.

Retained players of RCB:

Faf Du Plessis (C), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar (From Srh), Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar

Here is how the netizens reacted to the move:

Tags Andy FlowerBabyIPL 2024Jish Hazlewoodrcbreleased

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