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Why Did RCB Release Josh Hazlewood Ahead of IPL Auctions 2024? Head Coach Andy Flower Reveals

image-lpfq8uq9Josh Hazlewood was released by RCB 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) recently announced their list of retained and released players ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, scheduled for December 19.


Andy Flower reveals reason behind releasing Josh Hazlewood

Among the notable releases was Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who played a key role in Australia's World Cup 2023 victory with 16 wickets to his name.

RCB released 11 players in total, including Hazlewood. The lanky speedster was a significant contributor to Chennai Super Kings' title win in 2021 with 11 wickets and an economy rate of 8.37.

Despite his performance, Chennai did not retain him for the 2022 season, leading to RCB acquiring him for INR 7.75 crore. Over the next two seasons, Hazlewood took 23 wickets at an average of 19.69, maintaining an economy rate of 8.16. However, in 2023, he was limited to just three matches due to an injury.

The decision to release Hazlewood was unexpected, considering his recent form. RCB's head coach Andy Flower and director of cricket Mo Bobat provided insights into this decision in a video posted on Twitter. Flower stated that Hazlewood's expected absence for the first half of the upcoming season, due to the anticipated birth of his child in March, was a significant factor in their decision.

“Josh Hazlewood…very pleasingly, has a baby on the way, due in March”, explained Flower, shortly after getting off the phone with Hazlewood. “So Josh won’t be with us, certainly not for the first half of the season,” said Flower.


Alongside Hazlewood, RCB also released players Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, David Willey, Wayne Parnell, Sonu Yadav, Avinash Singh, Siddharth Kaul, and Kedar Jadhav.

Additionally, RCB traded Shahbaz Ahmed to Sunrisers Hyderabad in exchange for Mayank Dagar. The IPL transfer window will remain open until December 12, offering franchises further opportunities to reshape their squads ahead of the auction.