KKR Wicketkeeper Replaces Injured Gujarat Titans Star In CPL 2025 Squad, Former RCB Player Replaces Him For Zimbabwe Tests

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Michael Bracewell has been included in New Zealand’s Test squad for the series in Zimbabwe, while Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has replaced the star Gujarat Titans (GT) player Glenn Phillips in the Guyana Amazon Warriors squad ahead of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025. The T-20 tournament will kick off on August 15.

Previously, he had suffered a groin injury while playing for the Washington Freedom during the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 Final, which sidelined him from the ongoing Zimbabwe tri-series and the upcoming red-ball fixtures.

Michael Bracewell Set to Miss ZIM vs NZ 2nd Test to Participate in The Hundred

Previously, Bracewell was not considered for the two-match Test series due to his stint in The Hundred. However, he will be available for selection in only the first red-ball fixture against Zimbabwe, which will begin on July 30. The Black Caps all-rounder will join his franchise, Southern Brave, ahead of their 2025 campaign opener on August 6 against the Manchester Originals.

“Glenn’s injury provided a gap in the Test squad and Michael is the closest like-for-like replacement. Given he’s here with the T20 squad and his availability aligned for the first Test, we’re using the opportunity to include him in the squad. We’ll get through the first Test and then we’ll make a decision whether we’ll replace him for the second Test,” stated head coach Rob Walter in New Zealand’s media release.

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The gloveman initially went unsold in the IPL 2025 player auction, but GT acquired him in the accelerated round for INR 2 crores. However, he failed to play a single match in this edition after sustaining an injury during their clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 6. He had entered the field as a substitute fielder but departed within a few moments after suffering a groin injury. GT replaced him with Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka.

Notably, the Black Caps gloveman has had below-par stats in his previous two seasons of the cash-rich league so far. Phillips scored only 26 runs in three matches and 39 runs in five matches while representing SRH in the IPL 2021 and IPL 2023, respectively. This lessens his chances of acquiring a well-priced deal for the upcoming IPL season. The player also had an average outing in the recently concluded MLC 2025 with just 186 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 139.84.

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