IPL Auction 2021 | Rajasthan Royals snap up Shivam Dube for INR 4.4 Crores
Rajasthan Royals shelled out INR 4.4 Crores at the IPL 2021 auction, making him the first Indian player to be sold at the auction this year. Sunrisers Hyderabad had begun the bidding contest for Dube before Rajasthan arrived at the scene and secured his services by out-matching Delhi Capitals’ bid. Shivam Dube’s base price was at INR 50 lakh and his value increased buy eight times during the auction.
The 27-year-old is a left handed batsman and can bowl right arm-medium fast. He was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2019 IPL auction and spent two seasons with the franchise. However, Dube failed to make a name for himself at RCB and was eventually released by the team before the 2021 auction.
In the 15 matches that he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Shivam Dube could only score 169 runs at an average much below 20. His strike rate of 122.46 wasn’t too great either. With the ball, he had picked up four wickets at an economy rate of 7.59.
Despite what the numbers might suggest, Dube is a hot prospect who can be groomed into an excellent utility player under the right conditions. Royals will be looking to do just that. They were in the hunt for an Indian all-rounder who could offer depth in the batting department and is capable of hitting the big shots while simultaneously provide a few crucial overs.
Also Read: IPL 2021 Auction | Complete Rajasthan Royals (RR) Squad and Final list of Players
Last season, Dube featured in 11 games in the IPL held in UAE. He picked up four wickets with the ball and scored 126 runs. He had an average of 18.93 with the bat and a strike rate of 122.86. The handy all-rounder was in great form during the recent edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well. In five matches, he made 161 runs for Mumbai at a healthy average of 40.25 and at a strike rate close to 140.
It will be interesting to see how Rajasthan Royals utilise Shivam Dube in the upcoming IPL considering that they have a host of talented all-rounders in Ben Stokes, Chris Morris and Rahul Tewatia.