RCB Hunt For Nuwan Thushara Replacement, Ideal Bowler Could Be This Underrated Test Pacer

RCB are set to hunt for a Nuwan Thushara replacement after the retained pacer from RCB IPL 2026 squad was denied NOC by Sri Lanka Cricket.

Nuwan Thushara will not play IPL 2026. Sri Lanka Cricket has denied the fast bowler a No Objection Certificate after he failed to clear the board’s newly enforced fitness benchmarks, leaving Royal Challengers Bengaluru without a key overseas pace option just two days before the season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28.

The timing could not be worse. RCB are already without Josh Hazlewood for the early phase of the tournament, Yash Dayal has been ruled out for the entire season due to off-field issues, and Jacob Duffy is the only other overseas seamer in the squad. Thushara, who had IPL experience from stints with Mumbai Indians and RCB in previous seasons, was expected to compete for a starting berth — particularly in conditions that suit his skiddy pace and variations. That option has now vanished.

RCB need a replacement. And the man they should be calling is Josh Tongue.

Why Nuwan Thushara’s Absence Hurts RCB

SLC officials have clarified that Thushara is not injured — his overall fitness levels were simply flagged as below the required standard under the board’s new physical performance testing policy. Several other Sri Lankan players, including Dushmantha Chameera, Dasun Shanaka, Pathum Nissanka, and Kamindu Mendis, cleared the tests and received their NOCs.

For RCB, the Nuwan Thushara replacement search is complicated by the kind of bowler they need. Thushara offered genuine pace from a right-arm angle, death-overs capability, and experience in Indian conditions. He played one match for RCB in IPL 2025, taking 1/26 from four overs, and eight matches for Mumbai Indians in 2024, claiming eight wickets at 32.12. He was a known commodity in IPL conditions, and finding a like-for-like option at this stage of the window is not straightforward.

The Replacement Market: Who Is Available?

With the IPL season starting in 48 hours, RCB’s options are limited to players who are either unsigned, recently pulled out of other leagues, or available at short notice. Three names stand out.

Ottneil Baartman

The South African right-arm quick withdrew from his PSL 2026 deal with Hyderabad Kingsmen, citing personal reasons. He was outstanding in the SA20 2025-26 season — 20 wickets in 9 matches for Paarl Royals at an economy of 9.13, including a devastating 5/16. Former South African captain Keshav Maharaj has called him the best death bowler in the country. However, Baartman is strongly linked to Chennai Super Kings through their sister franchise Texas Super Kings, and reports suggest CSK may still be in the frame to sign him despite already securing Spencer Johnson as Nathan Ellis’ replacement. Baartman went unsold at the IPL 2026 auction.

Richard Gleeson

The Lancashire and England seamer is currently playing in the PSL. At 37, he brings extreme pace (regularly clocking 145+ kmph) and bounce from a tall frame. He has T20I experience for England and performed well in The Hundred. The drawback is availability — extracting him mid-PSL would be logistically difficult and could attract the kind of blowback from the PCB that has already engulfed players like Muzarabani and Shanaka.

Josh Tongue

And then there is the option that makes the most cricketing sense for this specific franchise.

The Case for Josh Tongue at RCB

Josh Tongue is a 28-year-old English right-arm fast bowler who stands 6’4″ and generates pace, bounce, and an awkward angle that batters consistently struggle to pick. He is primarily known as a red-ball cricketer — his Test credentials are outstanding, including a Player of the Match performance in the Boxing Day Ashes Test at Melbourne in December 2025, where he took 7/89 — but his white-ball game is developing rapidly, and the underlying data suggests he is better suited to T20 cricket than his modest match count implies.

In The Hundred 2025, Tongue’s breakthrough in short-format cricket arrived with force. Playing for Manchester Originals, he took 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 13.33 and an economy of 8.79, with a best of 3/21. His wickets included Kane Williamson, David Warner, and Steve Smith in successive matches — a calibre of opposition that most IPL bowlers would envy.

What makes Tongue particularly interesting is not just the output but the biomechanics.

Here’s the table to insert right after the sentence “Playing for Manchester Originals, he took 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 13.33 and an economy of 8.79, with a best of 3/21.”

Most Wickets in The Hundred 2025 (Men’s)

The Bumrah Comparison — Why Tongue’s Angle Is Special

No bowler in world cricket replicates Jasprit Bumrah. His hyperextension, his release point, his ability to generate late movement from an action that looks physically improbable — all of it is unique. But within the broader spectrum of fast bowling, there are bowlers who share certain biomechanical characteristics, and Tongue is one of them.

Data shows that 99.1% of Tongue’s deliveries come from a wide release point. For Bumrah, that figure is approximately 89%. Both bowlers generate an awkward angle into right-handed batters that conventional side-on or front-on actions simply do not produce. The ball comes from a place that batters do not expect, and by the time they adjust, it is often too late.

Where the comparison diverges is in seam movement after pitching. For Tongue, 46.5% of his deliveries in Test cricket angle in and then move away after pitching. Bumrah’s equivalent figure is 50.9%. The profiles are remarkably close for two bowlers operating at different stages of their careers and in different formats.

Tongue does not have Bumrah’s hyperextension — his action is more orthodox in that sense — but the wide release point combined with his 6’4″ frame means he generates steep bounce and an angle that is disorienting in a way that few fast bowlers in world cricket can replicate. His action itself unsettles batters before the ball even pitches.

The key insight from The Hundred 2025 is that as Tongue played more matches, his control improved markedly. The economy rate tightened, the wides reduced, and the death-overs execution sharpened. He needs matches to find his rhythm in T20 cricket — but when he does, the returns are significant.

Why RCB Specifically

The case for Tongue at RCB is strengthened by the franchise’s existing infrastructure and cultural leanings.

RCB’s analyst Freddie Wilde is English and previously worked with the England cricket team. So did head coach Andy Flower. Director of cricket Mo Bobat has shown a clear preference for English players in RCB’s recruitment — the squad already includes Jacob Bethell, Phil Salt, and Jacob Duffy (New Zealand, but part of the English county circuit with Kent). The franchise understands the English cricket ecosystem better than any other IPL team, and Tongue would slot into that setup seamlessly.

From a tactical perspective, Tongue fills the exact gap Thushara’s absence creates. RCB need a right-arm quick who can hit the pitch hard, generate bounce at Chinnaswamy’s higher altitude, and offer a genuine wicket-taking threat in the powerplay and at the death. Jacob Duffy provides control; Tongue would provide menace. The combination of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s swing, Duffy’s accuracy, and Tongue’s pace and bounce would give RCB a pace attack with three distinct and complementary skill sets.

The Honest Drawback

Tongue has played just 11 T20 matches in his career. His Hundred performances were outstanding, but The Hundred is 100 balls, not 120. IPL conditions — flat pitches, smaller boundaries, dew factor, and batters who have seen everything — are a different proposition entirely. His T20 economy of 8.79 is respectable but not elite, and there will be days when the angle does not work and the lengths are punished.

He needs to be backed through the rough patches. The data and the biomechanics say the upside is enormous, but the sample size is small. RCB would be signing potential, not a proven IPL performer — and in a title defence season, that is a genuine risk.

What Happens Next for RCB?

RCB have until March 28 to name a Nuwan Thushara replacement. The franchise will likely make the announcement within 24-48 hours. If they prioritise proven IPL pedigree and death-overs execution, Baartman is the safer pick — if he is still available and not already committed to CSK. If they back their data-driven scouting philosophy and the English pipeline that Mo Bobat has built, Tongue is the smarter long-term play.

Either way, RCB’s pace department — Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Rasikh Salam, Mangesh Yadav, and Abhinandan Singh — needs reinforcement. They have another notable absentee in Yash Dayal, who has been confirmed to miss IPL 2026. The defending champions cannot afford to enter the season with just one overseas seamer in their XI with Hazlewood also not available early on.

The question is whether RCB are willing to bet on an underrated Test pacer whose biomechanics and trajectory suggest he could be a genuine white-ball weapon — or whether they play it safe in a season where safe has never been enough.

Also read: RCB Practice Match Scorecard 2026 on Dakia cricket section | Find out how to get RCB tickets in IPL 2026