The second game of today’s doubleheader has started. The two captains, Faf du Plessis and Rohit Sharma walked out for the toss. Faf du Plessis won the toss and invited Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians to bat first. However, the match was marred by the absence of several stars, one of which is RCB’s spin-bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.
Reason for Hasaranga not playing
Royal Challengers Bangalore‘s bowling attack will be weakened as their star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga is unavailable for their first two matches against Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings due to prior national commitments. The Sri Lankan cricketer is currently in New Zealand as a part of the national team and will only arrive in India after the conclusion of the 3rd T20 match on April 8.
Hasaranga’s absence will be felt by the team as he was one of the standout performers for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last season. The team management will have to come up with a new strategy to fill the void left by the talented leg-spinner. Wanindu Hasaranga’s contribution to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team in the previous season cannot be overstated. As the leading wicket-taker for RCB, he proved to be the backbone of their spin-bowling attack. The Sri Lankan leg-spinner picked up a whopping 26 wickets in 16 matches at an impressive average of 16.53 and an economy rate of 7.54. His best figures in the previous season were 5/18, and he was the second bowler in the list of Purple Cap holders.
Who is playing instead of Hasaranga today?
Since Hasaranga is missing the game due to national duty, RCB have decided to field Kiwi all-rounder Michael Bracewell. Bracewell is making his IPL debut today. Bracewell was not initially picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the auction but was later added as an injury replacement. Chapman is a seasoned veteran who has played 117 T20 games. In those 117 games, he has scored 2284 runs at an average of 30.86 and has picked up 40 wickets as well.
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