RCB has recently secured the services of New Zealand’s Tim Seifert as a substitute for England’s Jacob Bethell. At present, Seifert is engaged in his duties with Karachi Kings in the PSL and his transfer to India will hinge on his team’s performance. The IPL announced that he will be eligible for selection starting from May 24, according to a press statement.
Kings have an upcoming PSL Eliminator match against Lahore Qalandars on Thursday night, followed by the PSL final in Lahore on May 25. Consequently, his possible arrival date at RCB would be May 26 in Lucknow, just one day prior to their last league game against Lucknow Super Giants.
At Kings, Seifert has been opening the innings alongside David Warner. In his nine innings as an opener, he has managed to score a total of 226 runs at a strike rate of 145.80, with his best performance being 47 runs. Although he has had limited appearances in the IPL, Seifert has previously played for Delhi Capitals (two matches in 2022) and Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2021).
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Seifert’s signing is a result of Bethell being unavailable due to national commitments. After Friday’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which was relocated from Bengaluru to Lucknow due to unfavorable weather conditions in southern India, Bethell will be departing for England.
In his first season in the IPL, Bethell has played in two games for RCB. He stepped in for an ailing Phil Salt and scored 55 runs off 33 balls in the previous match against Chennai Super Kings on May 3, which was also RCB’s most recent game. Unfortunately, their scheduled match against Kolkata Knight Riders after the ten-day break had to be called off due to rain in Bengaluru last Saturday.
In addition to Bethell, the availability of Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood for RCB is uncertain. He is currently training at CA’s High-Performance Centre in Brisbane to prepare for the upcoming World Test Championship final.
According to RCB director Mo Bobat, they have been in communication with CA regarding Hazlewood. However, they are taking a cautious approach as he heals from a shoulder issue that occurred before RCB’s match against CSK last Friday.
On a related note, RCB’s Lungi Ngidi will also be absent for the playoffs due to his preparations for the WTC final. Just last week, he was substituted by Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani as a temporary replacement.
RCB is currently vying for a top-two spot, having emerged victorious in eight of their 11 league matches. Their next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow will be followed by the final match of the league phase against Lucknow Super Giants.
