Rajesh Menon, Vice-President and Head of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), had a humorous reaction to Josh Hazlewood’s name at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai on Tuesday, December 19. When auctioneer Mallika Sagar revealed Josh Hazlewood’s name, he folded his hands.
The Australian pacer has priced himself at ₹2 crore base price for those who were unaware. On a day when his countrymen Mitchell Starc (₹24.75 crore) and Pat Cummins (₹20.5 crore) sold for more than 20 crore, the speedster remained unsold.
IPL 2024 will see just one Australian player, Josh Hazlewood, not be completely available due to his child’s birth in late March, according to reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has notified the teams. Only from the first week of May forward will the passage from New South Wales be accessible.
Several clubs, notably Royal Challengers Bangalore, have the funds to sign Josh Hazlewood for the IPL 2024 season. The Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad are among the other teams.
Josh Hazlewood has previously played for Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and RCB in the IPL. The right-arm pacer played just three games last season, picking up as many wickets during his stint with the Bangalore-based franchise last season. The 32-year-old, however, scalped 20 wickets in 12 games in the 2022 season.
Hazlewood has 35 wickets in 27 IPL matches with an economy rate of 8.06.
RCB bag six players IPL 2024 auction
The Royal Challengers Bangalore team completed its 25-player lineup for the next season after purchasing six players during the IPL 2024 auction. Surprisingly, the Bangalore-based franchise outbid West Indies bowler Alzarri Joseph (11.5 crore) and Yash Dayal (5 crore).
The team has signed New Zealand bowler Lockie Ferguson for 2 crore at the basic fee. Tom Curran (1.5 crore), Saurav Chauhan, and Swapnil Singh (20 lakh each) were their other signings.