3 possible substitutes for Josh Hazlewood in IPL 2021

Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood has pulled out of the IPL 2021. Hazlewood will now prepare for the upcoming Sheffield Shield and spend some quality time with his family. The Aussie stated that staying in the bio-bubble for the past 10 months has made him weary and fatigued. Hence, he will now spend some time with his family because he feels he needs some rest ahead of a grueling schedule for the Aussies. Hazlewood will now take a 2-month hiatus before he gets back to international duty against West Indies. 

Hazlewood played 3 matches for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020. In 3 matches, Hazlewood conceded 64 runs and only managed to pick one wicket in total. With Hazlewood out, CSK will find it difficult to find an ideal replacement for the Australian bowler.

Here are 3 players who could possibly replace the 30-year-old:

Sean Abbott

Sean Abbott is likely to replace his Australian counterpart in IPL 2021. Abbott has a knack to pull off wickets at the middle overs. Furthermore, with his height, he can bowl decent bouncers, adding variation to his bowling style. Abbott could prove to be a handy tool for Dhoni’s men in the upcoming matches. Abbott went unsold in the IPL 2021 auction, with his base price fixed at 50 lakhs.

Mitchell McClenaghan

Another player who could replace Josh Hazlewood is New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan. McClenaghan will bring a lot of experience as he has played in several T20 leagues around the world. McClenaghan went unsold in the recently contested IPL 2021 auction. He has also been a part of the Mumbai Indians franchise for 5 years. McClenaghan, with his bowling experience, could exploit batsmen in the IPL and provide a backup option for Sam Curran. 

Billy Stanlake

Billy Stanlake is the most likely bowler to replace Josh Hazlewood in IPL 2021. The Australian bowler has proved to be quite a deadly bowler in the powerplay overs. If you manage to contain the opposition during the powerplay overs, it is likely that you can turn the tides in your favor. Stanlake has participated in the IPL before. He has represented both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past. Stanlake found no bidders in the recent IPL 2021 auction and went unsold at a base price of 1 crore.

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