3 reasons why LSG and CSK should look at Arzan Nagwaswalla as fast bowling replacement in IPL 2023

Arzan Nagwaswalla has never featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but his name is doing the rounds on social media. With many teams marred by injuries ahead of IPL 2023, the seamer might get a break this season.

The T20 extravaganza is less than a week away and several teams have reported either injuries or player replacements in their squads.

Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Will Jacks, Kyle Jamieson, Jonny Bairstow, Prasidh Krishna, Sarfaraz Khan, Jhye Richardson - and the injury list doesn't stop there.

The latest reports have suggested that Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings could suffer setbacks. This is due to Mohsin Khan (LSG) and Mukesh Choudhary (CSK) being in recovery mode from their injuries.

Mukesh and Mohsin's injuries complete an injury XI before the season. There has been no official confirmation from either of the franchises regarding their players' injury replacements, till now.

Both CSK and LSG would lose a young left-arm quick as Mukesh and Mohsin were impressive in their debut season. The two teams can mull roping in Gujarat's Arzan Nagwaswalla for IPL 2023 if any of the injuries happen to be confirmed.

Let's take a look at three factors why Nagwaswalla would be the perfect injury replacement option for CSK and LSG.

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#1 A quality left-arm pacer with variations

Arzan Nagwaswalla

The Gujarat fast bowler learned the basics of bowling from his elder brother Vipsi at an early age. He has the ability to succeed even on dry surfaces where swing and reverse swing cannot be the ally of fast bowlers.

Arzan Nagwaswalla persistently targets the wide of the off-stump line, also known as the fifth stump line, to induce the edge. He has short balls in his armoury and can pepper the batters with them to find breakthroughs.

He will also be useful in more favorable conditions, such as are found in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, with his ability to generate movement of the ball.

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#2 Impressive numbers in domestic cricket

Arzan Nagwaswalla in action

The 25-year-old has played 23 First-Class, 27 List A, and 25 T20 matches in a four-year domestic career so far, accounting for 173 dismissals at an average of 22.60 across all formats.

He picked up 41 wickets in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season where Gujarat made it to the semifinal round. The left-arm pacer finished the season as the highest wicket-taker for his side. Nagwaswalla was also the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2020-21 Vijay Hazare Trophy - with 19 wickets in seven matches.

Of the 35 wickets bagged in the shortest format, Arzan Nagwaswalla's best performance was against Maharashtra in the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He mustered figures of 6/19 from 3.3 overs as Gujarat successfully defended a moderate score of 157 in Vadodara.

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#3 Investment for a longer run

There is no dearth of talented cricketers in the Indian domestic circuit. When these players get an IPL stint, it gives them immense confidence and changes their mindset while competing against the best players from around the globe.

If CSK or LSG add Arzan Nagwaswalla to their squad, it would not only strengthen their bowling unit but will also allow them to groom the left-arm seamer. Experience of playing in the elite league will allow the youngster to take his game to the next level.

So, Nagwaswalla won't just be a back option for the team that picks him in their squad, but a great investment for the future as well.