Wayne Parnell vs David Willey - who should RCB pick as their overseas seamer for their IPL 2023 clash against DC?

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will look to return to winning ways when they take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in match number 20 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, April 15, in the first match of the doubleheader. Despite putting up 212/2 on the board against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), they failed to defend the total.

RCB will be worried about their bowling. Even in the match before the one against LSG, they conceded 200-plus against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Of course, the batters were also equally responsible for the defeat as they only managed to score 143 in 17.4 overs.

The good news for RCB ahead of their clash against Delhi Capitals is that leg-spinning all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga will be available for selection. Cricketing logic says that he will automatically walk back into the playing XI. It also means that one of the overseas players will have to make way for Hasaranga.

Skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell are more or less certainties, which means it will come down to a choice between pacers Wayne Parnell and David Willey for the fourth overseas slot. In this feature, we analyze who could be the better contender.

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Parnell vs Willey: Form check

David Willey celebrates after claiming a wicket. (Pic: iplt20.com)

England left-arm pacer Willey has played in two matches in IPL 2023 so far. He came up with an outstanding spell in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), registering figures of 2/16 from four overs. He cleaned up Venkatesh Iyer and Mandeep Singh off consecutive deliveries.

He also contributed with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 20. Willey’s efforts went in vain though as RCB succumbed to defeat by 81 runs. The 33-year-old also featured in Bangalore’s one-run loss to the Lucknow Super Giants. He did not pick up a wicket but went for only 32 runs in his four overs

Parnell made his debut for RCB in a high-scoring encounter against LSG. He made a significant impact, claiming three wickets while conceding 41 runs. The South African left-arm pacer got the scalps of Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, and Ayush Badoni to keep RCB in the hunt.

Before the IPL, Parnell featured in the three-match T20I series against West Indies at home. He had mixed time, going wicketless in two games and picking up 2/43 in the other.

There really isn’t much to pick between the two when it comes to current form, although Parnell does have the habit of conceding a few runs in bargain for wickets.

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Who is more useful as a bowling all-rounder?

Wayne Parnell bowls on debut for RCB. (Pic: iplt20.com)

Willey has played 246 T20 matches in his career, claiming 244 wickets at an average of 23.02 and a strike rate of 17.4. He has a decent economy rate of 7.91.

Parnell has featured in 258 matches, claiming 262 scalps at an average of 25.72 and a strike rate of 19.6. His economy rate in the format is 7.87. It is quite an interesting comparison as both players have pretty evenly matched records with the ball.

Apart from being good left-arm seamers, both Willey and Parnell can be decent contributors with the bat. Looking at Willey first, he has scored 3392 runs at an average of 24.05 and a strike rate of 137.38.

Significantly, the 34-year-old has cracked two hundreds and 14 fifties in his T20 career. Clearly, there is plenty of potential there. If needed, Willey could also be promoted up the order as a floater to increase the tempo of the innings.

Shifting focus to Parnell, the Proteas’ bowling all-rounder has so far scored 1887 runs at an average of 18.87 and a strike rate of 123.65, with five half-centuries.

While Parnell doesn’t have a three-figure score in the format, he has a highest score of 99. While his batting numbers are decent, they pale in comparison to Willey’s.

When it comes to overall batting stats, Willey clearly has the edge over Parnell, both in terms of average and strike rate - the latter being hugely significant in the T20 format.

The England all-rounder’s batting prowess might end up being the clinching factor when it comes to RCB picking between the two for the DC clash.