After an absence of one season, Kedar Jadhav is back in the IPL and will play for his previous team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, for the balance of their current season. David Willey has been replaced in the RCB team by Jadhav, a batting all-rounder.
In 93 IPL games played so far, Jadhav, who made his IPL debut in 2010, has amassed 1196 runs. The right-handed hitter, who earlier played 17 games for RCB, was signed on for INR 1 Crore.
The English all-rounder Willey participated in four games for RCB this year and claimed three wickets.
Before joining Chennai Super Kings, Jadhav, 38, played for RCB in 2016 and 2017.
Later, he would play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2021 before not being purchased in any of the subsequent auctions last year.
“I did not participate in the IPL last year either. I've been playing for 10–12 years, and I like it. The world will not end as a result. A cricketer's primary focus should be on representing India, not the IPL. IPL is just a venue where you can expedite your selection process, Jadhav had said in an interview with Sportstar in January of this year.
Jadhav however stayed involved with IPL 2023 in a professional role with JioCinema, which owns the rights to telecast the T20 competition online.
Jadhav really went nearly a year without playing any cricket before making his Ranji Trophy debut for Maharashtra in 2022–23.
The veteran produced a magnificent performance, scoring 555 runs in only six innings, including a double-century, to put to rest questions about his condition and match fitness.
Jadhav finished the Ranji Trophy season as Maharashtra's top run-getter with an average of 9.250, two centuries, and as many half-centuries.
The middle-order batter's T20 record shows that he has appeared in 155 games and amassed 2484 runs with a strike rate of 128.37. He has 14 half-centuries, with his highest score being 84 not out.
In the IPL 2023, RCB has won four games and lost as many; they play Lucknow Super Giants later today.
