IPL 2023: Reece Topley ruled out of season due to shoulder injury, RCB to announce replacement

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have been handed yet another blow in the form of England pacer Reece Topley’s shoulder injury. The ace pacer is confirmed to miss the remainder of the tournament after dislocating his right shoulder at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru against Mumbai Indians on Sunday, April 2.

Notably, the 29-year-old traveled with the squad to Kolkata with a sling but was eventually replaced by his compatriot David Willey in the XI in the clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It is understood that the pacer headed back to the UK to recover as confirmed by RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar. In addition to the massive blow, Bangar stated that the franchise will be looking for replacements to cover the injured pacer.

"Reece Topley has travelled back home and he has been ruled out of the tournament. We will be seeking for a replacement soon,” told Bangar while speaking to the broadcasters of JioCinema during the match between KKR and RCB.

Topley injured himself while making a diving stop in the field during the clash against Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians. In the contest, the pacer, who played his debut, claimed one wicket for 14 runs in his two overs before sustaining the injury.

Notably, RCB had already suffered a major setback as batter Rajat Patidar is also ruled out of the season owing to a heel injury. Moreover, the franchise also lost its other overseas acquisition in Will Jacks prior to the start of the 16^th edition due to a muscle injury.

KKR set humongous 205-run target for RCB

Speaking about the match, Willey got the early breakthroughs for the side and RCB seemed in command of the contest. However, top performances from Shardul Thakur (68 runs), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (57), and Rinku Singh (46) saw the side get back into the contest thereby posting a massive 205-run target.

RCB will require skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli to fire just as they did against Mumbai Indians in their first outing this season. A solid foundation by the duo will help their case in the chase as they will look to obtain a second win on the trot.