'Bowlers bhi toh Bangalore ke the' - Fans react as Michael Bracewell smashes unbeaten century in Bangalore's practice match 

Michael Bracewell (Image credit: Twitter)

With the start of the most-awaited Indian T20 League 2023 just hours away, all the franchises are looking forward to start their campaign with a bang. Defending champions Gujarat will take on four-time champions Chennai in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31. The players teamed up with their respective franchises and are sweating hard in the nets with the aim of lifting the coveted trophy of the two-month-long event.

Meanwhile, Michael Bracewell put in a blistering performance in the Bangalore franchise's practice match ahead of their first ITL match against Mumbai. Signed as a replacement for England's Will Jacks, the New Zealand all-rounder scored an unbeaten century (105 off 55 balls) with 8 fours and 7 sixes. However, his brilliant batting performance could not see the team through as they fell three runs short.

Batting first, Suyash Prabhudessai XI scored 217/6 in 20 overs on the back of Glenn Maxwell's 78* (46), Mahipal Lomror - 48* (27) and Anuj Rawat - 32*(16). Chasing 218, apart from Bracewell, only their captain Faf du Plessis (47 off 35 balls) could play a better innings. In game where bowlers got hammered, Mohammad Siraj and Himanshu Sharma took two wickets each conceding 49 and 37 runs respectively.

Can Bangalore lift their maiden ITL trophy this season?

Bangalore acquired Jack's services for Rs 3.2 crore in the auction, but the Englishman was ruled out due to a muscle injury he sustained in the recent Bangladesh tour. The franchise then signed Bracewell for his base price of INR 1 crore. The 32-year-old went unsold in the auction but grabbed the headlines with a sensational century in Hyderabad during the ODI series in India.

Bangalore will face five-time champions Mumbai in their first ITL 2023 match on April 2 at their home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bangalore had a decent campaign last season, finishing fourth in the points table. This time, with Bracewell joining the team, the unit looks even stronger and the franchise will be hoping to lift their maiden trophy in the cash-rich league.

Bangalore squad for ITL 2023: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, Faf Du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahemad, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Karn Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, David Willey, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma,  Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav, Micheal Bracewell

Here's how fans reacted to Bracewell's unbeaten century:

Every RCB's batsman performs in practice matches like, it's the final of T20 WC going on

— Freak (@soul_freak80) March 31, 2023

Other teams already shivering..

— Sultan𓃵 (@its_sultan18) March 31, 2023

Bashing run machine bowlers

— NIKHIL 🇮🇳 (@nikhil_nsu) March 31, 2023

Rcb bowling department 😂🙏

— Saurav Jha (@SauravJha45) March 31, 2023

That's what RCB should try first. Win the practice match trophy. That's the only one they can win...

— Siddhu (@SiddharthAhir3) March 31, 2023

God bless RCB bowlers with this performance in main matches

— Chethan (@Chethan20918009) March 31, 2023

When there both team score 200 that show's how weak there bowling is 🤷‍♂️

— Ayush (@Ayush70932128) March 31, 2023

Bowler bhi toh RCB ke the

— Kunal Kocharekar (@kunalthesimba) March 31, 2023