He played one season for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2023.
Gone are the days when 100 balls were too less to derive a result out of a game. The Hundred league is in full swing and there are runs flowing everywhere. The shorter the format gets, more the number of boundaries. This has become a formula for majority of the leagues in the world. Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player Michael Bracewell bowled a magnificent spell for the Southern Brave against the Birmingham Phoenix. He bowled 15 balls and picked three wickets. And it didn’t stop there. He conceded just 10 runs in the 15 balls bowled.
AUSA-W
144/8
INDA-W
140/8
KNK
171/10
VSS
195/5
Vijayawada Sunshiners beat Kakinada Kings by 24 runs
BVB
141/3
ROR
139/10
Bhimavaram Bulls beat Royals of Rayalaseema by 7 wickets
AMR
–
TBW
–
SVL
–
KNK
–
PD
152/10
NDS
179/8
North Delhi Strikers won by 27 runs
WDL
156/7
EDR
158/8
East Delhi Riders beat West Delhi Lions by 2 runs
SDS
–
NDT
–
NDS
–
WDL
–
CRO
111/4
CYP
134/4
Cyprus beat Croatia by 23 runs
CRO
103/4
CYP
102/8
Croatia beat Cyprus by 6 wickets
CRO
107/4
CYP
110/2
Cyprus won by 8 wickets
ZGW
–
ZAS
–
ZAS
–
RJM
–
ZGW
–
ZGA
–
ZAS
–
RJM
–
ZGW
–
ZGA
–
KENT
238/8
DURH
239/3
Durham beat Kent by 7 wickets
SOM
250/7
LAN
254/8
Lancashire beat Somerset by 2 wickets
MID
256/5
SUSS
255/9
Middlesex beat Sussex by 5 wickets
DER
341/8
NOT
214/10
Derbyshire beat Nottinghamshire by 127 runs
BB
291/8
NOR
229/10
Birmingham Bears won by 62 runs
GLO
182/3
LEI
285/7
ESS
280/10
WOR
340/9
Worcestershire beat Essex by 60 runs
91YC
70/9
BCC
20/0
Bud Cricket Club beat 91 Yards Club by 10 wickets (D/L) method
NAJC
119/10
GUG
121/7
Guwahati Giants beat Nabajyoti Club by 3 wickets
CCC
–
91YC
–
NVR
–
GUG
–
TCC
117/8
SBSCC
–
NCMI
–
PCR
–
CEC-A
–
RTZ
–
KRMPS
–
GUJCC
–
JOR
47/10
PRK
49/5
Perak beat Johor by 5 wickets
MEL
107/8
PENG
111/4
Penang beat Melaka by 6 wickets
SEL
76/1
KLPR
141/1
Selangor beat Kuala Lumpur by 9 wickets (D/L) method
GBM
–
MGD
–
BNB
–
MYW
–
MWW
96/7
HTW
107/10
Hubli Tigers Women beat Mysore Warriors Women by 11 runs
NPB
196/4
EAE
144/10
NPL Bears beat Eavion Eagles by 52 runs
PAJ
173/8
PMW
197/6
Pupkewitz Motors Wildcats beat Paratus Jets by 24 runs
IRE-W
155/4
PAK-W
156/2
Pakistan Women beat Ireland Women by 8 wickets
WI
–
PAK
171/7
SLGY
163/6
SLGR
165/5
SLC Greens won by 5 wickets
SLGR
–
SLBL
–
AUS
178/10
SA
161/9
Australia beat South Africa by 17 runs
SOB
109/1
BIP
106/7
Southern Brave won by 9 wickets
TRR
–
NOS
81/4
MAO
–
LOS
–
SBW-W
139/7
BIP-W
124/10
Southern Brave Women beat Birmingham Phoenix Women by 15 runs
TRW-W
128/8
NOS-W
129/2
Northern Superchargers Women beat Trent Rockets Women by 8 wickets
MOW-W
–
LSW-W
–
SWE
152/7
FRA
153/8
France beat Sweden by 2 wickets
AUST
106/2
NOR
105/10
Austria won by 8 wickets
This was the first victory for the Southern Brave in this season of The Hundred. Though they tasted victory for the first time, it was a convincing one. The off-spinner shattered the Birmingham Phoenix and broke their spine. As a result, Southern Brave were able to limit their opponents to a modest 106/7. To add to that, Bracewell was awarded with the Man of the Match for his stellar performance.
Bracewell has got another side to his game. He is a very dependable batter, and has shown it at the highest stage on multiple occasions. He can hit the long ball, but can also play according to the situation of the game. The kiwi all-rounder was one of the players who signed a convenience contract with the New Zealand Cricket Board. This was done so that the players would be able to play in various leagues around the globe.
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To put it straight, Michael Bracewell can be a good replacement for someone like Liam Livingstone. The all-rounder from England did not have the best of seasons with the franchise in their journey towards becoming the champions. He scored just 112 runs in the 10 outings that he featured in. To add to the abysmal numbers, he averaged a mere 16 throughout the season, and wasn’t able to add any fire towards the end. Speaking about his bowling, he managed just two wickets in 10 games, which was not up to the mark.
What suits Bracewell in this scenario is the fact that he can fill the exact same position which Livingstone was playing at. Bracewell’s exploits with the bat have shown enough promise for him to earn a spot in the T20 side. In the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025, he scored 227 runs at a strike rate of more than 130. Moreover, he also had decent contributions with the ball. Bracewell can fill the Livingstone void in the RCB camp and can perform better with respect to both skills. Unlike Livingstone, the kiwi all-rounder can anchor the innings if needed, and that will be a positive.
RCB have enough firepower at the back-end, with Jitesh Sharma wonderfully establishing himself in the role. Moreover, players like Rajat Patidar have shown enough zeal to not throw their wicket away once they are settled at the crease. Krunal Pandya is another all-rounder who adds a lot of bowling value to the side. His performance in the last season spoke volumes about his ability to bowl tight spells under pressure. If RCB are looking for a replacement for Liam Livingstone, they might want to look at someone like Michael Bracewell, who was a part of their franchise in 2023.
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