3 pacers who can replace Josh Hazlewood at RCB for IPL 2024 ft. Mitchell Starc
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made headlines on retention day. They released several marquee players like Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Harshal Patel ahead of the 2024 IPL auction on December 19.
Despite numerous changes over the years, they continue to search for their maiden IPL title. To their credit, the franchise has performed well over certain periods; they qualified for the playoffs every season between 2020 and 2022. However, RCB stumbled again in the 2023 season, finishing sixth out of 10 teams, with many of their usual issues rearing their ugly head.
While the pickup of Cameron Green bolsters an already fearsome batting lineup, their bowling arsenal looks thin on paper. That made the release of Hazlewood all the more surprising until head coach Andy Flower provided a clarification.
Flower revealed that the 32-year-old would not be available for at least the first half of next season as he is expecting his first child in March.
Injuries meant that Hazlewood could only play three matches for RCB last year. However, in 2022, the pacer picked up 20 wickets at an average of 18.85 to help them finish third.
Although the departure of the ever-reliable Hazlewood could be a massive loss, the franchise can build its pace-bowling portfolio by availing some of the high-caliber options at the auction. Here, we look at three pacers who can replace Josh Hazlewood at RCB for IPL 2024.
#1 Mitchell Starc
Ever since left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc stated his wish to feature in IPL 2024, there has been a lot of speculation about his potential landing spot.
Starc has arguably been the world's best white-ball bowler over the past decade. He is among the few bowlers to have mastered the art of grabbing wickets with both the new ball and at the death. Starc's left-arm angle with pace makes him the complete white-ball package.
In Mohammed Siraj RCB has an expert white-ball bowler for the powerplay, and Starc's addition would make the duo an intimating new-ball combination. The death bowling, which has been RCB's Achilles heel for years, could finally be resolved with the acquisition of the Aussie pacer.
The franchise has entrusted Harshal Patel with the role over the past few years, but the results have been mixed. Starc brings the added advantage of having already played for RCB, even if it was eight years back. His only two seasons in the IPL were at Bangalore, in 2014 and 2015.
Starc has 34 wickets from 27 IPL games, with 20 coming in 2015 when RCB finished third and were two wins away from their maiden IPL title. He also boasts an excellent overall T20 record, with 170 wickets at an average of less than 20 in 121 outings.
The champion pacer is coming off his second ODI World Cup, with magnificent performances in the semi-final and final, and his reunion with RCB could be a match made in IPL heaven.
#2 Shivam Mavi
Right-arm pacer Shivam Mavi was among the most unfortunate cricketers of IPL 2023. Despite being a high-profile signing, going for ₹6 crore in the auction for the Gujarat Titans (GT), the 25-year-old did not feature in a single game last season.
During his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) between 2018 and 2022, Mavi was impressive in patches. The pacer picked up 20 wickets in 17 games across the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Despite only five scalps in 2022, Mavi earned a national call-up for the T20I series against Sri Lanka in January. On debut, the Uttar Pradesh-born pacer registered figures of 4/22 to help India pull off a thrilling two-run win.
With six international T20s and 52 T20s overall under his belt, Mavi could be the ideal second Indian seamer behind Mohammed Siraj for RCB. The youngster can also use the long handle with the bat, as evidenced by his first-class average of over 19 and T20I strike rate of over 155.
Barring Siraj, RCB are short of Indian pace-bowling, with only Vyshak Vijaykumar and Akash Deep as high-performing domestic options. Opting for a young and talented Indian pacer with international and IPL experience would help RCB open up an overseas slot to play Reece Topley or another foreign bowling all-rounder.
#3 Gerald Coetzee
South African pacer Gerald Coetzee has earned plenty of hype thanks to his impressive bowling in the recent ODI World Cup.
Having debuted for South Africa only this year, the 23-year-old had played only 11 games across formats before the showpiece event. But the speedster never let the moment get to him, and he finished as the tournament's fifth-leading wicket-taker.
Despite playing in only eight of the Proteas' 10 matches, Coetzee finished with 20 scalps. That includes a sensational 2/47 that almost won the game for them in the semi-final against Australia.
With an injury-prone Reece Topley as their only overseas seamer, it might be worthwhile for RCB to invest in arguably the most promising young pacer in world cricket. At 23, Coetzee could also be a steal at the upcoming auction compared to next year's mega auction, when he would likely go for a much higher price.
Furthermore, Coetzee was among the best performers in the inaugural SA T20 earlier this year, picking up 17 wickets in nine games to help the Joburg Super Kings finish second on the points table.
The South African could also solve RCB's death bowling woes, and he has the knack of picking up timely wickets in the middle overs. Added to his bowling is Coetzee's ability to score valuable lower-order runs, which will provide much-needed depth to a usually top-heavy RCB batting lineup.
Coetzee boasts three half-centuries in first-class and List-A cricket and has a career T20 strike rate of over 120 in 41 games.