"Can anyone make sense to me?" - Fans react hilariously as Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga and Trent Boult benched for RR vs RCB in IPL 2023

In a shocking development, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Trent Bult were benched by their respective teams for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday, May 14.

While RCB included Wayne Parnell and Michael Bracewell, RR chose leg-spinner Adam Zampa over the left-arm pacer. Speaking at the toss, the Royal Challengers skipper Faf du Plessis said:

“Two changes - Parnell coming in for Hazlewood, Bracewell in for Hasaranga.”

Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson added:

“The support staff has taken care of us and helped with niggles. As of now, everyone is fit to play. We have one change in the side - Zampa comes in place of Boult.”

Fans on Twitter were shocked as three quality bowlers were dropped in a must-win game for both RR and RCB. One user tweeted:

"Can anyone make sense to me?"

NK

@NaveenA94434

why RR benched Boult? why RCB benched Boult/Hasaranga?
This is the most important game for both teams.
Can anyone make sense to me?
#RRvRCB @prasannalara

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why RR benched Boult? why RCB benched Boult/Hasaranga?
This is the most important game for both teams.
Can anyone make sense to me?
#RRvRCB @prasannalara

Here are some of the other best Twitter reactions:

Sharon Solomon

@BSharan_6

Dropped Josh Hazlewood and Wanindu Hasaranga but having Anuj Rawat in Playing XI. Typical RCB move, guys!!

#RCBvRR #RRvRCB #IPL2023

4

Dropped Josh Hazlewood and Wanindu Hasaranga but having Anuj Rawat in Playing XI. Typical RCB move, guys!! 😭😭

#RCBvRR #RRvRCB #IPL2023

✨

@sophiesalterego

@Gerrard_xs They left out hasaranga and hazlewood too, let’s see who made the stupider decision

@Gerrard_xs They left out hasaranga and hazlewood too, let’s see who made the stupider decision

₭aushal❤️‍🔥

@Kaushal_13_

RCB deserves humiliation for dropping Hazlewood and Hasaranga before Anuj Rawat

5

RCB deserves humiliation for dropping Hazlewood and Hasaranga before Anuj Rawat

Lokesh Saini

@LokeshViraat18K

Why RCB Management is Most Hutiya/Clown ever

1) Dropped Hasaranga on Spin friendly Jaipur pitch.

2) Dropped Hazlewood for wyanne parnell

3) Dropped Suyash for Anuj clown Rawat

4) playing anuj rawat at no. 3
Ahead of Mahipal, who plays better spin then anyone after maxi.

110

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Why RCB Management is Most Hutiya/Clown ever

1) Dropped Hasaranga on Spin friendly Jaipur pitch.

2) Dropped Hazlewood for wyanne parnell

3) Dropped Suyash for Anuj clown Rawat

4) playing anuj rawat at no. 3
Ahead of Mahipal, who plays better spin then anyone after maxi. https://t.co/05s4r84LFh

Stephen N

@albatrosscric

Faf du Plessis' captaincy has been nothing short of abysmal this season. He has dropped two of the team's most important overseas players, Hazlewood and Hasaranga. Their absence has weakened both the pace and spin bowling unit. twitter.com/albatrosscric/…

Stephen N

@albatrosscric

Throughout season, RCB has suffered defeats from winnable positions due to inconsistent lengths and on-field plans. Faf's captaincy has been subpar, calling for him to raise his standards and devise improved strategies.

11

3

Throughout season, RCB has suffered defeats from winnable positions due to inconsistent lengths and on-field plans. Faf's captaincy has been subpar, calling for him to raise his standards and devise improved strategies.

Faf du Plessis' captaincy has been nothing short of abysmal this season. He has dropped two of the team's most important overseas players, Hazlewood and Hasaranga. Their absence has weakened both the pace and spin bowling unit. twitter.com/albatrosscric/…

RCBIANS OFFICIAL

@RcbianOfficial

| It's understood that both Hazlewood and Hasaranga have niggles, hence RCB's changes among their overseas players.

#RRvRCB #RRvsRCB #RCB #PlayBold #IPL2023 #CricketTwitter #RCBvsRR

5

🚨 | It's understood that both Hazlewood and Hasaranga have niggles, hence RCB's changes among their overseas players.

#RRvRCB #RRvsRCB #RCB #PlayBold #IPL2023 #CricketTwitter #RCBvsRR

Aayush Mahajan

@CricGlance

Even if Rajasthan Royals wanted Adam Zampa in the XI, Joe Root and not Trent Boult should have been replaced. #CricketTwitter #RRvRCB #RCBvRR #RajasthanRoyals #TrentBoult #SanjuSamson #IPL2O23

Even if Rajasthan Royals wanted Adam Zampa in the XI, Joe Root and not Trent Boult should have been replaced. #CricketTwitter #RRvRCB #RCBvRR #RajasthanRoyals #TrentBoult #SanjuSamson #IPL2O23

Himanshu Pathak

@hpathak3453

@vikrantgupta73 @prabhsimran01 No Boult
Who can Out kohli at 0.

Tabhi to ipl Scripted hai.
Rajasthan 2 saal ke liye kyun ban thi....
Aaj prove hogya
@manoj_dimri @vikrantgupta73

@vikrantgupta73 @prabhsimran01 No Boult
Who can Out kohli at 0.

Tabhi to ipl Scripted hai.
Rajasthan 2 saal ke liye kyun ban thi....
Aaj prove hogya
@manoj_dimri @vikrantgupta73

Divyam Poptani

@dvpoptani10

@fkYouBeastTitan Boult nahi hai aaj

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1

@fkYouBeastTitan Boult nahi hai aaj https://t.co/RpUxm81c4I

Fatima Sattar

@Khud_Ki_Khushi

They rested Boultjust imagine phr bhi RCB har jae, Itni bdi favour k bd bhi

2

They rested Boult😭😭😂😂just imagine phr bhi RCB har jae, Itni bdi favour k bd bhi😁

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RCB opt to bat against RR

RCB captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and chose to bat first. Speaking at the toss, he said:

“We will have a bat first. The conditions might favor that, looks like a dry wicket. It is very clear from here on for us, that is not a bad thing sometimes. We need to execute better.”

RR skipper Samson also wanted to bat first, citing that they’re treating the game as a semi-final to keep their hopes alive of reaching the IPL 2023 playoffs. He stated:

“Would have batted first as well. The pressure is on, we are treating this as a semi-final. To be honest, we have had just one flat game against Gujarat, the rest of the games we have played competitive games.”

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Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (wk/c), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, KM Asif, and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Kuldip Yadav, Donavon Ferreira, and Navdeep Saini.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Michael Bracewell, Wayne Parnell, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, and Mohammed Siraj.

Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Finn Allen, Shahbaz Ahmed, Himanshu Sharma, and Suyash Prabhudessai.

Follow RR vs RCB live score updates here.

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