3 reasons why DC signing Jake Fraser-McGurk for IPL 2024 is the wrong move
Delhi Capitals have made the headlines for picking young Australian sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk as the replacement for Lungi Ngidi, who has been ruled out of IPL 2024 with a lower back injury that he sustained during the SA20 playoffs.
Although it may not seem to be a like-for-like replacement by any means, the Capitals will hope that this new acquisition of theirs lights up the Indian Premier League this season.
While it is understandable that the Capitals got swayed by Fraser-McGurk's exploits in the 2023-24 Big Bash League, it has to be remembered that the latter's statistics are not too easy on the eye.
In this listicle, we bring to you three reasons why the Capitals' signing Fraser-McGurk is not the right move:
#1. He is untested in Indian conditions
One of the biggest factors why signing Fraser-McGurk is the wrong move for the Capitals is that he is untested in Indian conditions.
Most players from Australia struggle to find their feet when they play in India for the first time, and the same can be expected from the 21-year-old as well.
However, the Capitals will hope that this does not turn out to be the case, and that he manages to carry his impressive form from the BBL into the IPL as well.
#2. His average in T20s is poor
What goes against Fraser-McGurk is that his average in T20s is rather poor. In the 37 games that he has played in this format so far, he averages a mere 20.15.
This is extremely poor by the standards of the IPL, and the Capitals must have been aware of this statistic.
However, they chose to go with the young Aussie purely based on the headlines he created with his exploits in the Big Bash League, where even the legendary Glenn Maxwell went out of his way to appreciate him.
#3. He is extremely inexperienced
Another factor that may go against Fraser-McGurk is the fact that he is rather inexperienced when it comes to playing T20s in particular and plying his trade in the subcontinent in particular.
The Capitals will hope that he turns this into his advantage as very few bowlers know his strengths or have prepared extensively for them.
He has played in just 37 T20s in his career while he has already turned up for Australia in 2 ODIs. Fraser-McGurk has an impressive strike rate of 133, and will hope that it works in his favour in the IPL.