RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood likely to miss first 7 games in IPL 2023

Melbourne: Set to miss at least first leg of the IPL due to an Achilles (heel) problem, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood would reach India by April 14 but would take another week to be match-fit. While Hazlewood will miss at least seven IPL games, his Australian teammate Glenn Maxwell is doubtful for RCB’s opening match against Mumbai Indians on April 2 in Bengaluru as he is yet to fully regain strength post leg fracture. IPL 2023 preview: A look at injuries, innovations and more “Everything is ticking along according to plan, so I’ll be heading over on the 14th (of April) depending on how the next two weeks go,” Hazlewood was quoted as saying by The Age. “I probably won’t be quite ready to go right then, but (after) another week in India to touch things up skills wise I should be ready to go hopefully.” Hazlewood, who had to opt out of Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, is hoping to get ready for the Ashes via the IPL. “You don’t need a lot of workload for T20. It’s more just ticking off those boxes of getting up to speed and pushing back in the run-up. I’m probably only going to need to do one or two sessions at full pace and then I’m probably good to play. “T20 is a lot different to Test and even one-day cricket. You only need 20 balls at full pace and that’s pretty close to a game, which is a good thing,” he said. IPL 2023:  All you need to know The 32-year-old pacer, however, is still awaiting a medical clearance from Cricket Australia before departing for India. “It’s a niggly one, the Achilles tendon. It’s a slow process but it thrives on a bit of work, and I’d have to be bowling to prepare for the Ashes, so it may as well be in a game of cricket,” Hazlewood said. Click here to read Factboxes of all teams _**Click here to follow comprehensive coverage of IPL 2023**_ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.