IPL 2024: Will Reece Topley Miss Action For RCB In Indian Premier League After PSL Withdrawal?

England have declined a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Reece Topley to participate in the upcoming Pakistan Super League - PSL 2024, ruling the lanky pacer out of the T20 tournament organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Topley, who featured in the SA20 season 2, was declined a NOC as England cited inury and workload management with the T20 World Cup 2024 in mind. So, will the pacer miss more action before the show-piece tournament in West Indies and USA in June?

England, the defending champions, will look to go into the tournament with a strong squad. So, there is every chance they would want their best players fresh for their title defence. But will Topley also miss IPL 2024, which is scheduled to be held in the March-May window?

Will Reece Topley miss action for RCB in IPL 2024?

As it stands, there is still more than month left for the start of IPL, giving Topley enough time to recover. And also a report from ESPNCricinfo says his injury is not serious enough to to put his participation in the Indian Premier League in jeopardy.

The report also added that pulling him out of the PSL was a decision taken out of an abundance of caution with a T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean in June. So, he is likely to be available for IPL, but whether he participates in it entirely is another question.

With IPL 2024 slated to end on May 26, a few days before the T20 World Cup 2024, England may want their players to be released early from IPL. So, there is every chance Topley may not be available for the whole of IPL season.

Royal Challengers Bangalore had retained the England pacer ahead of the IPL auction 2024, hinting that the 34-year-old would be very much in their plans for the season. However, post-auction, RCB may not be to concerned as they added a few more pace options.

Topley will not be the only English pace option for RCB, his compatriot Tom Curran, who was bought for his base price during the auction, is another option. But his availability also is in doubt due to injury.

How will RCB cope with absence of Topley and Curran?

RCB will be allowed replacements should both the English pacers not be fit and available for the start of the season. Even without them, RCB will have eight other options in the squad to fill the void.

RCB's pace attack includes Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Dayal, Rajan Kumar, Alzarri Joseph and Lockie Ferguson, while all-rounder Cameron Green, who is expected to be an immediate pick in the 11 following his trade from Mumbai Indians, is also a choice in the seam department.

With the current available options, although not similar in stature or what he brings to the the table, Yash Dayal will be the readymade replacement for Topley as the only other left-arm pacer in the squad.

If they need an external replacement, RCB may look at the likes of Obed McCoy or Ben Dwarshuis as left-arm options, while there are many others who they could target as replacements.