Players Who Could Replace Topley For Royal Challengers Bengaluru

It’s par for the course where the Indian Premier League is concerned that when international teams come calling, players will head to link up with their respective nations. IPL 2024 is no different, and it isn’t in the case of England’s Reece Topley, who will join up with England to welcome Pakistan, but that means the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, also known as RCB, now need to find a replacement.

At the time of writing, RCB, according to cricket betting markets, has an outside chance of winning the IPL. But you'd think that losing the services of Topley, a left-arm pacer who genuinely troubles batsmen with his outswinger, the challenge in front of them seems to be a whole lot tougher. And that’s not taking into account fellow England international Will Jacks, will also depart RCB too. The task at hand is primarily to find a suitable replacement for Topley, and a couple of names have already been considered.

Raj Limbani

Raj Limbani, similarly to Ghazanfar, excelled at the Under 19 World Cup, and this has put him at the forefront of the thinking of many, especially the powers that be at RCB. The right arm pacer is on the way to perfecting two key attributes – seam position & swinging the ball in – and these are the skills that RCB are interested in acquiring after losing what Topley brings to the table with the ball in hand. Limbani’s USP and what could be the significant pull for RCB is consistent delivery of over 140kmph. If RCB did acquire Limbani’s services, it would be interesting to see if he would command a starting position from the get-go or be on the bench initially.

Duan Jansen

Duan Jansen, of the players mentioned, is older and has more experience at twenty-four years of age, which could be a plus point in itself. Not only is Jansen a genuine pacer, but he’s also 6’8, and uses his size to his advantage by creating extra bounce in his deliveries. The South African is already impressing in his cricket career, even though, up to this point, it can be classed as short. He’s proven his credentials, especially with the pace he can generate, and he also does well with the bat lower down the order. All this combined makes him an exciting proposition to replace Topley.

The reality for RCB is that they’re not going to be able to directly replace what Topley gives them, which is a significant blow because there is a chance of making the playoffs. But, they’ve got to make the best of a bad situation, and a situation they knew that was going to come. The man who fills the void vacated by Topley won’t necessarily be there to take his place as a starter either, which will remove some pressure initially. They could be brought and then introduced over time before they begin to make the starting XI. A decision is expected soon.