FACT CHECK: Did Will Jacks Play For RCB In IPL 2023?

England and Surrey all-rounder Will Jacks is all over the news since hitting five consecutive sixes in an over in a South Group T20 Blast 2023 match against Middlesex at The Oval last night. With him part of RCB’s official IPL 2023 squad, there’s a lot of excitement among Indian fans with respect to a player who has played a couple of international matches across all the three formats of cricket.

Opening the batting with Laurie Evans (85), the duo put together a 76-ball 177-run partnership for the first wicket. A swashbuckling stand from all angles, it witnessed them hitting a combined total of 17 fours and 12 sixes.

Second of the two batters to be dismissed, Jacks missed out on a second T20 century on Thursday. Having also hit five consecutive sixes off Middlesex spinner Luke Hollman in the 11th over, the 24-year old player also missed a mammoth opportunity of joining an elite club of cricketers with six sixes in an over in a T20 match.

“I don’t think I’ll get a better chance of hitting six sixes in an over than that. So, it’s a little bit disappointing,” an ambitious Jacks told reporters after his mind-blowing effort ended in a losing cause in a historic contest.

Did Will Jacks Play For RCB In IPL 2023?

It is worth mentioning that Jacks was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore during Indian Premier League 2023 auction but didn’t get to play a match.

Having registered himself at a base price of INR 1.5 crore, Jacks was sold to Bangalore for INR 3.2 crore. Apart from them, Rajasthan Royals had also bid for him but couldn’t beat Royal Challengers in the process.

Jacks, however, couldn’t make his IPL debut because he was ruled out of the 16th season of the biggest T20 league in the world due to a muscle injury which he sustained during England’s tour of Bangladesh right before IPL 2023.

One of the four RCB players which were ruled out for some reason or the other before or during the recently concluded season, Jacks was replaced by New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell. That said, Jacks is very much part of their squad until they release him before IPL 2024 auction.