Jofra Archer has been a vital cog for Rajasthan Royals. He was picked by RR for INR 7.2 crores in 2018 IPL auctions. Archer since then has been a proven performer for RR. He even won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in IPL 2020. His extreme pace and guile unsettled many batsmen in IPL 2020. He stuck some vital blows with the bat. Archer is a brilliant fielder too. He suffered an elbow injury playing against India. It is quite likely that he might miss out on playing the IPL this year. Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be looking for his possible replace Jofra Archer in IPL.
StumpsandBails believes these 3 all-rounders can replace Jofra Archer in IPL 2021:
#3 Mitchell McClenaghan
Mitchell McClenaghan was one of the Mumbai Indians’ go-to bowlers. He was effective both with the new ball and at the death. McClenaghan was an honest trier who ran in hard irrespective of the conditions. His workhorse-like ability makes him a captain’s delight. He has played 56 IPL games picking up 71 wickets at an economy rate of 8.49. McClenaghan was released by MI ahead of IPL 2021 auctions. He went unsold in the auctions. But he could certainly be a like-to-like replacement for Archer. Mitchell McClenaghan can clear the boundary easily and this makes him even more valuable.
#2 Ben Dwarshuis
Ben Dwarshuis is one of the most exciting cricketers in the Australian domestic circuit. He generated a lot of buzz during the BBL this season. His skiddy left-arm fast bowling has caught many batsmen napping. Dwarshuis generates pace off the wicket and this makes him a difficult proposition to handle. He is a handy lower-order batsman too. Dwarshuis can tonk a few at will. He has picked up 85 wickets in 68 innings and has a batting strike rate of 124.8. Dwarshuis pairing with Chris Morris can set a good bowling template for RR.
#1 Carlos Brathwaite
Carlos Brathwaite remembers the name is an iconic line that rings in the mind of every cricket lover. His 4-sixes against Ben Stokes in the final over of the T20 World Cup in 2016 is now part of cricketing folklore. Brathwaite almost made an encore in the 50-over World Cup in 2019 against New Zealand. But he fell agonisingly short of glory in that game.
In between these two iconic innings, Brathwaite has somewhat become a forgotten hero. He played crucial knocks for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2018 in all 3 knockout games. Yet Brathwaite comes across as someone who wasn’t fully utilised in the IPL. He can prove to be an able replacement for Archer considering his skill. It will be interesting to see if RR reaches Brathwaite for his services.
