"They give RCB that point of difference others don't have" - Glenn Pocknall wants Glenn Maxwell and Michael Bracewell to play together
Former New Zealand coach Glenn Pocknall believes the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) should find a way to play both Glenn Maxwell and Michael Bracewell in their playing XI for the IPL 2023 season.
After Will Jacks was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury, RCB moved swiftly to secure Bracewell's services. The southpaw is an explosive batter and can also bowl off-spin. He could prove to be a valuable addition to the RCB ranks.
Bracewell has already shown what he is capable of in the few international innings that he has played, including his sensational hundred against India in Hyderabad earlier this year.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Glenn Pocknall explained why playing both Glenn Maxwell and Michael Bracewell together could give Bangalore an edge over others. He said:
"I think it's a valid question since they’re similar types of cricketers with the game they play (Bracewell and Maxwell). But I don’t see any reason why they cannot play together because they’re both match-winners and they have multidimensional skill-sets with both bat and ball.
"In T20s, the more players you have like these, the more are the chances of one of them coming off on the day. It is a bit of a gamble, but I feel they play both because they give RCB that point of difference which other teams don’t have."
Glenn Pocknall also understands why Michael Bracewell wasn't picked initially in the IPL 2023 auction. He said:
"Given he is reasonably new to international cricket, I can understand why he was not picked up initially. But he has produced some incredible match-winning innings domestically here and he has just started to show that for New Zealand in the past 12 months with the white ball.
"It was probably personified with his innings in India where he came in and absolutely belted it to all parts of the ground."
Hope Finn Allen gets a chance at RCB: Glenn Pocknall
Glenn Pocknall has worked closely with both Michael Bracewell and Finn Allen during his time as coach of the Wellington team. He feels Allen is incredibly talented and could give the Royal Challengers an X-factor that they desperately need.
On this, he stated:
"I hope he (Finn Allen) gets a chance because RCB need to change something. They need to be a bit braver and if they didn’t believe in him as a batter then I am not sure why they signed him.
"So this is the year where they could take that brave call and give him the opportunity and see what he can do."
Royal Challengers Bangalore will begin their IPL 2023 season against the Mumbai Indians on April 2 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.