IPL 2024: RCB's Will Jacks departs for England's T20I series against Pakistan

Will Jacks (Pic: Instagram/willjacks9)

England and Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Will Jacks is returning home to feature in the T20I series against Pakistan. IPL 2024 was his first season in the cash-rich league. Following his debut, he said that he liked every minute of his debut and also thanked everyone who was involved in making it a memorable one.

England's Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks and Reece Topley have left their IPL 2024 franchises to join their national team for the T20I series against Pakistan. The series will kick start on May 22.

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Taking to Instagram, Jacks wrote, "I've loved every minute of my first @iplt20. A massive thank you to everyone involved @royalchallengers.bengaluru. RCB fans you have been amazing #PlayBold."

In eight IPL 2024 matches, Jacks accumulated 230 runs with an average of 32.85 and a strike rate of over 175. He also had a century and half-century with the highest score of an unbeaten 100 runs. With the ball. he took two wickets. RCB bought him in 2023 but, he was not able to feature due to injury.

So far, the most celebrated moment of his IPL career was the innings against Gujarat Titans on April 28. While chasing 201 runs, Jacks scored a half-century in 31 deliveries. Within the span of the next 10 balls, the right-hander raised his bat to celebrate his maiden IPL century, achieving the fastest-ever acceleration for a century in the tournament's history. His unbeaten knock included 5 fours and 10 sixes. During his knock, he shouldered Virat Kohli who scored unbeaten 70 runs. The duo milked 166 runs.

RCB continued with their second-half surge, making it five wins in five matches and climbing up to the fifth spot with a 47-run win over DC at their home ground of M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. After losing seven of the first eight league games, RCB has turned their season around with five successive wins to keep their playoff hopes alive.

RCB's fifth consecutive win in the IPL 2024 has catapulted them to fifth place on the points table, a position that appeared practically unattainable three weeks ago when they fell by a run to KKR, their sixth defeat in a row. They currently have 12 points, with a potential to reach 14 when they play CSK in their final league game. The Men in Yellow have 14 points. A win in this game might offer them a chance to enter the playoffs, but only if other outcomes go their way since SRH and LSG (two games left for each side, both have 12 points) can both advance to 16 points and knock RCB out.

(With ANI Inputs)