“Crazy” – Jofra Archer busts fake news about leaving IPL 2023 for ‘surgery in Belgium’

Mumbai Indians (MI) speedster Jofra Archer on Wednesday, April 26, busted the fake news of leaving the ongoing IPL 2023 to have elbow surgery in Belgium. This came after reports suggested that Archer flew abroad to visit a specialist during his absence from the team (four games on the trot) before returning to India.

The report added that the England pacer had minor surgery after experiencing discomfort in a joint and needed two operations, which kept him away from international cricket for nearly two years.

Taking to Twitter, Archer wrote:

“Putting out an article without knowing the facts & without my consent is crazy. Whoever the reporter is shame on you, an already worrying and troubling time for a player and you exploit it for your personal gain, it’s people like you that are the problem.”

---

Jofra Archer fails to live up to expectations in the first half of IPL 2023

Jofra Archer has so far failed to live up to expectations in the first half of IPL 2023. He took a solitary wicket against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), where his side leaked 96 runs in the last five overs. MI lost that game by 13 runs.

The 28-year-old also returned wicketless against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their opening game of the season. The five-time champions were completely outplayed, losing the fixture by eight wickets.

The development came even as Archer missed the entire last season after being bought for ₹8 crore at the mega auction.

MI would hope that Jofra Archer plays the majority of the remaining seven games since they are already without Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of IPL 2023.

The franchise has won only three out of their first seven games this season. They need to return to winning ways if they want to avoid missing out on the playoffs berth for consecutive years. The franchise finished tenth in the points table last year.

MI will next play against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at home on Sunday, April 30.