In the ongoing IPL season, Rajasthan Royals have suffered a major setback. Their fast-bowling allrounder Nathan Coulter-Nile has returned to Australia for rehabilitation after suffering a side strain during the team’s opening match in IPL 2022.
The 34-year-old hurt himself during the final over of Sunrisers’ innings when he pulled up in his follow-through. He didn’t bowl further and walked off the field. Royals won the match by 61 runs but the Australian hasn’t been seen in action since then. Navdeep Saini served as his replacement for the next two matches.
The all-rounder will be a huge miss for the Royals, considering the need for bowling all-rounders in their side. The franchise had brought him for INR 2 crore and the veteran has been performing well in the competition with the ball and a little with the bat as well.
Now that the unfortunate injury of the Australian has left Rajasthan Royals with a gaping hole in their side. Here are the five potential players that could serve as the replacement for Nathan Coulter-Nile.
1. Reece Topley
After an injury-plagued career, the England fast pacer made his international return this year with the T20 series against West Indies. The 28-year-old also scalped 9 wickets in 8 matches of BBL for Melbourne Renegades. If the emphasis of Royal’s management is mostly on his bowling skills he can serve as a good replacement for Coulter Nile.
| Matches | Wickets | Runs | HS | Best |
| 104 | 131 | 57 | 14* | 4/20 |
2. Scott Kuggeleijn
The New Zealand all-rounder was added to the Mumbai Indians camp as a reserve player last year but didn’t get much chance to play for the franchise. He debuted for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019 but only played 2 matches that season and garnered two scalps. The veteran returned with 11 wickets in 9 matches for the Northern Districts in Super Smash this year while producing a best figure of 4/34.
| Matches | Wickets | Wickets | HS | Best |
| 131 | 132 | 767 | 41 | 4/18 |
3. Roston Chase
The West Indies off-spinner was impressive in the recently concluded series against India. The 30-year-old bagged 6 scalps in 3 T20 games and comes with plenty of experience with the white ball. Though he didn’t get much chance to play the shorter format on an international level, he has been a part of the Caribbean T20 league for a long duration.
| Matches | Wickets | Runs | HS | Best |
| 34 | 25 | 812 | 85 | 3/12 |
4. Dasun Shanaka
Sri Lanka’s limited-overs skipper has gradually established himself as the team’s backbone over the years. Shanaka was the top scorer for Sri Lanka in the recent T20I series against India in late February, scoring 124 runs in three outings. He hammered the likes of Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, and Avesh Khan in the death overs.
With the experience of playing in the T20 format since 2016, he is one of the candidates who is expected to get his due opportunity in the tournament after doing well in the Indian conditions this year.
| Matches | Wickets | Runs | HS | Best |
| 141 | 38 | 2985 | 131* | 3/16 |
5. David Weise
The Namibian all-rounder has tons of experience under his belt, playing for domestic franchises around the globe. Wiese debuted for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2015 and 2016 editions and has contributed 127 runs, and scalped a total of 16 wickets. Although he performed well in IPL he has not been able to get a chance to play in the tournament since then.
| Matches | Wickets | Runs | HS | Best |
| 289 | 224 | 3276 | 79* | 5/19 |
Read More:
