Big Blow for Bangalore as this Aussie cricketer likely to miss the Indian T20 League

The Bangalore side is one of the most famous franchises in the Indian T20 League and their fans are eagerly waiting to see their team in the 16th edition of the tournament. The team is presently facing some challenges as their star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been ruled out due to injury and now their key speedster Josh Hazlewood will also miss a few games due to his Achilles injury.

"Just a bit of workload management at the moment. Just managing the Achilles. I was bowling a fair bit leading into the tour at home and sort of just pushing up against it,” Hazlewood said. “Probably wasn’t recovering as well as I would have liked between each session, so thought we’d give it a few days here straight off the bat and try and get over the hump and have a bowl from Tuesday on (in Nagpur) and hope it goes well.”

Hazlewood’s absence is an influential blow to the squad as their team’s most consistent pacer who can bowl in difficult situations both in the powerplay and death overs will miss the game. The Aussie pacer has been an invaluable asset for the Bangalore franchise as he took 20 wickets in the 2022 season of the Indian T20 League, which made him the second-best bowler behind Wanindu Hasaranga. Hazlewood is also quite popular for his economic bowling in the powerplays, conceding less than seven runs in an over.

Hazlewood’s injury has come out at a very difficult time for the franchise as they are scheduled with some really tough opponents at the beginning of this season. The team is now expecting him to play the first match versus Mumbai on April 2. Yet it remains under fuss whether he can recover within the time frame or not. Also, Hazlewood’s injury will force him to be out of the three-match ODI series against India which will begin on March 17. The Aussie speedster was primarily ruled out of the first Test against India but now his Achilles issue has been the setback and the team management can send him back for his treatment. Maxwell has been appointed for the ODI series against India and if he can prove his fitness in the following games, he could participate in a full Indian T20 League season for the Bangalore franchise without missing any games. His presence in the squad is vital, as he is known for his power-hitting abilities and all-around skills. The Bangalore side will probably face some complexities at the beginning of the season and will hope to recover in time to play the tournament with their full squad strength. In the meantime, the team will depend on other bowlers to step up in their absence and keep them in a leading position for the entire season.