Will Jacks, an all-rounder for England, will not participate in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) because of an injury. Jacks was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the IPL Player Auction in December of last year for INR 3.2 crore.
During playing in the second One-Day International against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Jacks suffered a muscular injury. The teenage all-rounder was forced to withdraw from the IPL 2023 following scans and a professional consultation earlier this week. It might be a huge setback for the cricketer, who had planned to take part in the competition to get a feel for Indian cricketing conditions and possibly earn a spot in England’s squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India later this year.
ESPNcricinfo reported that the RCB has been in contact with New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell as a possible Jacks replacement. Bracewell entered the auction in December with a base price of INR 1 crore but went unsold. It is noteworthy since he has no prior T20 experience in India.
Apart from Jacks, RCB signed his teammate Reece Topley at the auction. Topley was on the bench during the white-ball tour to Bangladesh due to a minor niggle. However, he is expected to be fit in time for the start of the season. Jacks made his ODI debut for England on the tour and played the first two ODIs before suffering an injury. Notably, Jos Butler-led England clinched the ODI series by 2-1.
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore will open their campaign in IPL 2023 against Mumbai Indians on April 2 at their home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The 16th edition of the IPL will begin on March 31, with the opening match to be played between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
