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RCB Rope in Ex-MI, CSK Pacer as Replacement for Nuwan Thushara in IPL 2026

Cricket Gully | May 15, 2026 8:39 PM CST

The defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) signed the England pacer Richard Gleeson as the replacement for the injured Sri Lankan quick Nuwan Thushara for the rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

The signing was announced by RCB on Friday, May 15 on their social media handles. Thushara was ruled out of the competition due to an injury. The Bengaluru based franchise signed Gleeson in INR 1.6 crore before the final stages of the league phase of IPL 2026.

RCB currently sits at the top of the IPL 2026 points table with 16 points from 12 matches. The team has won 8 matches and lost 4 so far. Rajat Patidar led side is likely to make the playoffs with one more win needed in their final two matches to guarantee a top-two finish.

Richard Gleeson Adds Experience to RCB Bowling Unit

RCB has been doing very well in the bowling department this season. The experienced Indian pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the Purple Cap holder of the IPL 2026 with 22 wickets in 12 matches and Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood also picked 11 wickets in 9 matches after recovering from the injury.

The team was looking for a third overseas pacer who is experienced with the playoff stage of the competition around the corner. The addition of the English bowler will strengthen their bowling attack even further. The 37-year-old English bowler made his T20I debut at the age of 34 against India in 2022 and picked 9 wickets in 6 matches he played for his country.

Also Read | IPL 2026: CSK Sign Former RR Pacer as Khaleel Ahmed Replacement

Gleeson Returns to IPL After MI and CSK Stints

Richard Gleeson has experience playing in the IPL with 2 established franchise teams. He played one game for MI last season where he picked up one wicket. Prior to that he played two games for CSK in the 2024 edition of the competition.

Outside of the IPL, Gleeson has also participated in most of the premier T20 competitions around the world such as SA20, the PSL, Vitality Blast and The Hundred.

Elsewhere, Nuwan Thushara's IPL 2026 ended before it even began with the Sri Lankan not featuring at all for RCB this season. Thushara had previously been selected for only one match last year.

As the race for the playoffs continues to heat up, RCB will be hoping that the signing of Gleeson bolster their attack as they attempt to defend their IPL title.